02.05.2012 - 07:29 [ New York Times ]

Arrests and Clashes Downtown as May Day Protests Spread

Around 3 p.m., a crowd surged out of Washington Square Park carrying a banner that read “On Strike.” Officers shouted for protesters to remain on the sidewalk, but several protesters holding the banner stepped into the middle of Avenue of the Americas, where several officers — including one in plain clothes who had appeared to be marching with the crowd — tackled and arrested them.