People have their identification checked at a police blockade along Wall Street during ‘Occupy Wall Street’ demonstrations Monday. (Getty Images)
The closing bell rang on Wall Street today with no significant interruptions to business, as controlled chaos reigned over downtown streets amid renewed calls for economic reform.
At least 181 Occupy Wall Street protesters have been arrested for clogging foot and motor traffic during marches and skirmishes near the New York Stock Exchange.
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Today’s actions marked the one-year anniversary of the grassroots movement aimed at benefitting the “99 percent” of Americans allegedly being victimized by big business.
Cops built barricades at every entrance to Wall Street, forcing financial sector workers to show company IDs or have a colleague inside come outside to get them.
Protesters had hoped to infiltrate the NYSE and make a scene — but that never materialized. By the time the closing bell rang at 4 p.m., most of the action was confined to nearby Zuccotti Park.
The barricades were expected to be up only for today’s one-year protest and celebration.
Still, protesters did wreak havoc in the blocks around Wall Street. As protesters were being busted all over downtown, their comrades shouted derisively at officers: “Who do you serve, who do you protect!”
Thousands of protesters filled downtown streets this morning and spontaneously broke into song, “Happy Birthday.”
The mass show of democracy created widespread headaches for neighborhood residents and employees, who just wanted to get to work on a Monday morning.
“It’s kind of frustrating that I can’t even walk down my own streets,” said neighborhood resident Jackie Marrone, 22, who was blocked by barricades from getting to subways at her local Wall Street Station. “I was just trying to get to the subway. It’s annoying.”
The protests broke out at various locations between the movement’s spiritual home, Zuccotti Park, and Wall Street. With only moderate success, cops used bullhorns to instruct protesters to clear streets and keep foot and car traffic moving.
Protesters squared off against police and locals throughout the day in a series of tense-but-often-comical confrontations.
–At the corner of Broadway and Liberty Street, three people in wheelchairs were arrested for blocking traffic in the intersection the middle of traffic. They were taken away in an access-a-ride van.
–In another odd conflict, 10 protesters sat down at the Broadway and Wall Street checkpoint, in hopes of blocking workers from getting to the other side. The sitting protesters wore latex gloves covered in fake blood.
–A woman was driving north in a silver SUV on William Street near Exchange Place when protesters blocked the street and shouted at her. The beleaguered driver broke down in tears behind the wheel, before cops finally cleared a path minutes later.
–A protester challenged Wall Street worker Susanah Corey as she tried to get to her office.
“You can look a protester in the eye!” the OWS supporter yelled at Corey.
“You can look at someone who works in the eye!” the Westchester County resident shot back.
“What point are they trying to get across?” Corey told The Post. “Stupid people. What a bunch of lazy bastards!”
Despite the frantic action, there was no sign of a planned “people’s wall” on the streets surrounding the stock exchange.
Instead, protesters held a small meeting where they talked about the ills of Wall Street and corporate greed.
Marches and rallies in more than 30 cities around the world will commemorate the day.
About 300 people observing the anniversary marched Saturday. At least a dozen were arrested, mostly on charges of disorderly conduct, police said.
Over the weekend, a OWS site called for protesters to “Help build the People’s Wall!” on the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway — and suggests wearing suits or business-casual clothing to blend in.
Protesters said yesterday that they expect violence.
“There will be a lot of violence from the police. A lot of us are going to be arrested,” said Christopher Wells, 30. “If I’m arrested I’ll do it over and over again because I believe in this movement.”
Matt Parica, 18, of New Jersey, said, “You are going to have a couple of bad apples — people who want to riot and break things. Ninety percent of the cops are probably good people.
“The other ten percent are beating people up and pepper-spraying them.”
Protesters marched from the Meatpacking District to Foley Square yesterday afternoon. There were two arrests yesterday for disorderly conduct. There were 42 arrests Saturday and early yesterday.
Additional reporting by David K. Li, Jessica Simeone and Chuck Bennett