The Occupy Wall Street protests have been some of the most well-documented political demonstrations in history—with the ubiquity of cell phone cameras, almost every protester is also a photographer, and the NYPD has a special unit equipped with video cameras too. So there's no shortage of footage from Tuesday's May Day actions—for the armchair activist, here are some more videos that offer a visceral view of violent arrests and alleged vandalism. The first and longest shows a big scuffle between police and anarchists at the start the Wildcat march: more ›

Over 50 protesters [Ed: as of 2 p.m. today the count is 97] were arrested yesterday during a series of demonstrations organized by Occupy Wall Street to commemorate May Day. Prematurely dubbed a "dud" by Reuters, the long series of events that spanned many hours and much of the city itself culminated in tens of thousands of union members, students, and other demonstrators marching at a snail's pace down Broadway. Later that night, several thousand protesters massed at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza in Lower Manhattan before the police forced them to disperse or face arrest. more ›

There's a decent chance that tomorrow your Twitter feed will be full of breathless updates from chaotic protest and the internet will ooze images of civil unrest. But what if you can't afford to strike or risk arrest at a protest, but are still intrigued by May Day and want to see what it's about? Here are just a few of the many events going on across the city. more ›

A Manhattan judge ruled earlier today that Tweets are fair game to be subpoenaed, after a handful of OWS protesters received notice from the DA that their messages of 140 characters or less were considered evidence. Protester Malcolm Harris' attorney had argued that the Manhattan DA's office's request violated his client's privacy and free association rights, but the judge disagreed, and used Twitter hashtags in the first paragraph of his ruling. "The defendant moved to #quash that subpoena. That motion is #denied," Justice Matthew Sciarrino, Jr. wrote. more ›

Eleven Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested near the New York Stock Exchange yesterday as the demonstrators continue to occupy a segregated "First Amendment Rights Area" on the stairs of Federal Hall. Shortly after the arrests, the U.S. Park Police released a six-page set of regulations for the protesters sitting on federal property. more ›

At least 10 Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested last night during a large demonstration across the street from the New York Stock Exchange. Forced off the sidewalk on Broad Street earlier in the day, Occupiers sought refuge on the steps of Federal Hall, which is U.S. government property. For the most part, U.S. Park Police tolerated their presence, provided they didn't violate a "no sleeping or camping" rule. But as day turned to night, the NYPD continued to make arrests, frequently singling out protesters who seemingly did nothing wrong, and in some cases violently detaining them. more ›

Six months ago more than 700 demonstrators were arrested in an Occupy Wall Street march on the Brooklyn Bridge. Tomorrow a march to commemorate the event that clogged the court system, spawned lawsuits and galvanized the movement will begin at 2:00 p.m. in Zuccotti Park in Manhattan and 1 Hanson Place in Brooklyn. After a march over the Brooklyn Bridge the groups will meet at Cadman Plaza for a General Assembly. more ›

In the wake of this weekend's violent confrontations between protesters and the NYPD, Mayor Bloomberg has a message for Occupy Wall Street: the days of pre-eviction Zuccotti are over. According to the Times, Bloomberg told reporters at a press conference yesterday, "You want to get arrested? We'll accommodate you." He added, “If you have something, really, to say, that would be a great contribution, nobody can hear you when everybody’s yelling and screaming and pushing and shoving." Remember: "this is New York City, you can't be making noise at night." more ›

A member of the Occupy Wall Street press team claims two demonstrators outside the Criminal Courts Building were arrested this afternoon after insulting NYPD officers. Jeff Smith says that around 2:30 p.m., two protesters were arrested for calling a cop a "douchebag." Here's video of one of the arrests—we can't confirm what precipitated it, but the video's worth watching just for the part where the protester proudly yells "douchebag" repeatedly as the cops are escorting him away: more ›

The Manhattan DA's office has subpoenaed DC-based Occupy Wall Street protester Jeff Rae's Twitter account from September 15 through October 31. "I was a little bit blown away," Rae told Reuters. "It's interesting that in places like Egypt our leaders applaud people for using Twitter and social media for their movements. Here, I'm being subpoenaed for using social media." But Jeff, unlike New York City, Egypt is frozen in a police state bent against demonstrations and civil liberties. more ›

Occupy Wall Street's funds are getting tighter. According to the General Assembly's website there's roughly $44K in a general fund and $90K in a bail fund for the massive protests planned for May 1. It doesn't appear that the totals include the cash to be donated from a group of wealthy backers (including the founders of Ben & Jerry's) but concerns over lack of funding somewhat belie the point of OWS. more ›

During the Republican National Convention in 2004, protesters formed a symbolic unemployment line from Wall Street to Madison Square Garden, holding pink slips to raise awareness about America's unemployment. The unemployment rate that year was 5.5%, last year it hovered around to 9%—and that doesn't factor in all the people who have given up searching for work. So why was today's attempt to revive that 2004 demonstration so much smaller? Well, the frigid weather surely didn't help, not to mention the early 8:14 a.m. start time. (Live! With Kelly starts at 9, for one thing.) more ›

Eight Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested in Lower Manhattan late last night as the NYPD shut down Zuccotti Park in a strong and often baffling show of force. At the height of the confrontation, there were approximately 40 NYPD officers monitoring around 30 protesters, and the arrests, many of which were seemingly arbitrary and incidental, were spurred after several protesters brought backpacks and sleeping bags into the park. more ›

In December, a judge denied a motion to dismiss the charges against the nearly 700 Occupy Wall Street protesters who were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge in October. But the Times' Colin Moynihan reports that yesterday morning charges against 14 protesters were dismissed at the request of the DA's office, and while many of the protesters have agreed to conditional dismissals, at least 174 out of the 686 cases have been dismissed outright. more ›

NYPD Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna, who was filmed pepper spraying a group of Occupy Wall Street protesters near Union Square in September, has been sued by two of the women who were injured in the incident. According to the Daily News, Chelsea Elliot and Jeanne Mansfield are suing Bologna and the city for damages for "physical pain and mental suffering." "I think he allowed his emotions to get the best of him," Mansfield said. more ›

Four Occupy Wall Street protesters face felony charges after last week's "Occuparty" in an unfinished condo is Williamsburg. Three men and one woman are charged with riot, assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct according to information obtained from the Brooklyn DA's office by the Post. more ›

Yesterday, the New York Post reported that attorneys representing Occupy Wall Street had dropped their appeal against the city and Brookfield Properties which sought to allow camping in Zuccotti Park. The piece included triumphant quotes from attorney Randy Mastro, who was representing downtown businesses, as well as an attorney for the city. Alan Levine, the attorney representing Occupy Wall Street who argued the case in court on November 15, explained to us why he and his colleagues dropped the case: "We've gotten everything from the city and Brookfield that we wanted…they conceded that access to Zuccotti is unfettered." more ›

With a vote on the measures looming, organizations like NY Tech Meetup—the organizers of today's protest—are moving at maximum Mbps and seem to be connecting with Congress; the bills are losing sponsors faster than MySpace is losing users. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] What? You don't think this country needs "Austrian economics" to return to greatness? Why, if you just Wikipedia what that means, surely you'll—GAH! While Wikipedia and Reddit have gone black today to protest the anti-internet piracy bills SOPA and PIPA, the 20,000-strong NY Tech Meetup group has organized a protest today between 12:30 and 2 p.m. in front of the offices of Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand—both supporters of the legislation. more ›

As part of a worldwide candlelight vigil tonight honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., Riverside Church in Morningside Heights is hosting performances by Patti Smith, Steve Earle, Stephan Said, Kozza Olantunji Babumba, and will include "inspirational words" from Yoko Ono, Russell Simmons, and Norman Siegel. The event, as envisioned by Stephan Said, begins at 7:00 p.m. as the protesters amass outside the church. The performances begin at 8:00 p.m. in the nave. more ›

Following tomorrow night's worldwide candlelight vigil for Martin Luther King Jr., a group of African American faith leaders will join Occupy Wall Street in a march at 10 a.m. Monday from the Financial District to Madison Square Garden in an effort to "reclaim the dream" and further the slain civil rights leader's fight for economic justice. more ›

Three protesters were arrested and four issued summonses yesterday in Grand Central Terminal, where approximately 150 demonstrators formed a "flash mob" to protest President Obama's signing of the National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA], a military spending bill that also authorizes the military to detain American citizens indefinitely without due process. Obama signed it in Hawaii on New Year's Eve, and it hasn't gotten that much attention in the media, but some people at least are a little alarmed about this, and they were expressing their outrage during rush hour yesterday. In this video, protester Lauren Digioia gets arrested around the two minute mark: more ›

[SPOILER UPDATE BELOW] Those of you heading home through Grand Central tonight are in for a surprise, courtesy Occupy Wall Street! Demonstrators will be in the terminal at 5 p.m. for "a spontaneous show of people power in reaction to Obama’s treasonous signing of the National Defense Authorization Act." And in addition to the spontaneous show, protesters are promising a mysterious "special treat." Hmmm, a Hipster Cop kissing booth? Twinkling finger puppet show? Tenting? more ›

[UPDATES BELOW] Exactly three months ago, a group of protesters converged on a privately-owned, public space in Lower Manhattan to protest economic injustice. At noon today, Occupy Wall Street will again attempt to retake private property, this time from a real estate giant that has been supportive of the movement since the beginning: Trinity Wall Street church. more ›