Hundreds of people gathered at Union square this afternoon as part of the A31 actions taking place across the city. People started converging at the park in the mid-afternoon, with seveal hundred being there by 4 pm. Dozens of NYPD were present as well, engaging in a confusing series of maneuvers, blocking various entrances to the park, and standing around. The crowd was rather diverse, with music, street performance, art, and dancing present. Present at the assembly were the Beehive Collective, the Infernal Noise Brigade, a macabre street performance about oppression of Falon Gong in China, break dancers, a jazz saxophonist, and many others. There were several soapbox speakers, ranging from a pro-Bush Christian fanatic to a dogmatic Marxist who condemned the Falon Gong practitioners as enemy's of the "Peoples Republic" of China.
By late afternoon the crowd grew in both size and energy, as did the police presence. At approximately 7 pm the marching band started playing and led the crowd of several hundred people up Park Avenue South. The energy level of the crowd was extremely high and people were dancing to the band as they marched. The Police responded almost immediately, blocking progress on that street. The march turned down 15th street and proceeded forward only to find it blocked at Irving Pl. The police then proceeded to block of the other end of 15th at Park Avenue, trapping the front of the parade. With both ends shut, the cops started arresting everybody within the enclosed area. The rest of the marchers were forced back to the sidewalks or to the park. Hundreds of people stood on the edge of the park chanting "Let them go, let them go", while watching the NYPD systematically march down the street, physically apprehending the trapped musicians and marchers. This IMC reporter was able to see two city buses and a paddy wagon full of arrested individuals with more still being processed. An ambulance was also present and one person was taken away on a stretcher.
Photos from the street party taken by Media Mouse are available online.
