At the corner of Hanover and Wall streets, brokers tried to get through the wall of protesters and into the stock exchange. A few exchanged angry words with demonstrators who flooded the streets and blocked traffic. The police, who each had a handful of plastic handcuffs, formed a wall and began pushing against the wall of protesters. They leaned at a 45 degree angle trying to push protesters out of the street. The crowd gave, and police pulled out a few protesters, struggled to get the on the ground and handcuffed them.
This was not the first slew of arrests, nor was it the last.
Police walked down the street issuing a warning to everyone: get off the streets, or risk arrest. Again and again, the police repeated this. Some people disregarded the warning and ran into the street. Others spilled off the curb, pushed by the mass of demonstrators and press surging to get a look at the action.