"Occupy Wall Street" movement spreads across the US.
Despite the cold and rain of the approaching winter, protesters have taken to the squares of several American cities.
Police arrested about 30 "Occupy Wall Street" protesters in Oregon today after they refused to leave a park in an affluent Portland neighborhood. In Tennessee, protesters defied a curfew for the third consecutive night.
The arrests in Oregon occurred after protesters marched to the Pearl District neighborhood, with some claiming that residents of the area are part of the wealthy elite against whom they are protesting. Dozens of them gathered in Jamison Square yesterday, defying the order to leave the area by midnight.
With the arrival of the police, most of the protesters retreated, but a small group of about 30 people sat on the ground and awaited arrest. An Associated Press photographer said that most of the protesters were carried and dragged away by the police. There were no incidents of violence during the process, which lasted approximately 90 minutes.
The protesters – who appeared to be in their 20s and 30s, many wearing Halloween-style face paint – were handcuffed and placed in police cars. "We are the 99%," one of them continued to shout. Police said they arrested more than two dozen people, charged with trespassing, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct.
In the state of Tennessee, about 50 protesters gathered in Nashville. "Whose square is this? The square is ours!" they chanted in the early morning hours, defying the curfew. Police patrolled the area, but authorities gave no indication of attempting to arrest the protesters.