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Occupy protesters rally in Detroit, "slow start" in New York

From an Occupy Detroit rally last year.
Occupy Detroit
From an Occupy Detroit rally last year.

The Occupy movement promised more action this spring. "May Day" - today - is supposed to be one of those days.

The Detroit Free Press reports Occupy Detroit protestors are planning rallies in the city today:

They planned to begin at noon at Clark Park in southwest Detroit and then walk to schools, a bus station, and the McNamara Federal Building in downtown Detroit before ending at Grand Circus Park, the site of the group's encampment last year, at about 3:45 p.m., organizers said.

David Sands of the Detroit Huffington Post is live updating today's events. At 12:34 he reported:

A mixed crowd of about 150 people have gathered around the stage in Clark Park, where a huge banner hangs reading, "It's Not One Thing, It's Everything." Martha Gervatt, 54 and a UAW Local 869 member, said she was there to support workers' rights. "I'm here because it's important that we revive the spirit of May Day," she said.

Occupy Detroit protestors plan to hold eventsin Grand Circus Park through tomorrow.

On Saturday, May 5, they're planning an event at Eastern Market in Detroit.

Reutersreports Occupy Wall Street's protest in New York is off to a "slow start" with small gatherings at a handful of spots around the city:

At Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan, about 100 activists gathered where the group had promised a "pop-up encampment" emblematic of the movement's early days in lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park near the Wall Street financial district. The crowd soon dispersed to other locations to demonstrate, including directly across the street from Bryant Park at the Bank of America tower. About two dozen activists picketed in front of the building's main entrance. One person was arrested in the middle of 6th Avenue in front of the building. The group said it expected greater participation in events planned for later in the day as it tries to breathe fresh life into the movement that sparked a wave of nationwide protests against economic injustice eight months ago.

But why take Reuters word for it?

You can watch a livestreamof the Occupy Wall Street protest in NY. The "Guitarmy" is currently marching toward Union Square.

Mark Brush was the station's Digital Media Director. He succumbed to a year-long battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in March 2018. He was 49 years old.
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