Flashes of violence continued in cities across the U.S. on Friday as protesters linked to Occupy Wall Street clashed with police in Denver, San Diego and -- most notably -- the movement's home territory where 14 people have been arrested following a scuffle in lower Manhattan.
Injuries on both sides were reportedly minor, though a police officer ran over one man's leg with his scooter.
Authorities had planned a forced evacuation and cleaning of the park in New York's financial district where the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators have been based for four weeks. The Canadian-controlled company that owns the land, Brookfield Properties, called off its plans amid pressure from local politicians, seemingly defusing the situation and bringing cheers of victory from the protestors. They then marched into the streets, where they met with police.
Across the country in Denver, police in riot gear arrested some 21 protesters, breaking up their camp and herding others away from park grounds near the Colorado state capitol where they had been based for about three weeks.
Officers dragged some protestors from their camp and led others away by the arm. Most protesters retreated without resisting; some chanting "Peaceful!" or "Shameful!" at the police.
Another 10 protesters have been detained for refusing to leave a park in Seattle.
Occupy San Diego participants were likewise rousted from their tents as police started to clear the plaza behind the local City Hall. One man out of some 60 protesters was arrested, while others were hit with pepper spray as police sought to break up a human chain. By midday many had relocated to a nearby park.
Demonstrations sympathetic to the month-long movement against corporate greed and other issues continue to crop up across the U.S. -- in major cities including Boston, Seattle, Cincinnati, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and smaller locales not usually known for protest movements.
In Gainesville, Florida, a city of some 114,000 people, the Occupy Gainesville demonstration led to the arrest of at least four men including Ellas Anthony McDaniel, the 56-year-old son of famed rhythm and blues singer Bo Didley.
McDaniel was arrested Friday while protesting in a park named for his father, according to local media.
"This is my father's park," McDaniel, a Gainesville resident, told the Independent Florida Alligator. "For them to arrest me in that plaza is ludicrous. ... I'm an American. This is freedom of assembly."
In Des Moines, Iowa authorities are preparing to remove Occupy Iowa protestors from the state capitol grounds.
The movement has also spread to major centers in Asia and Europe.
Organizers are preparing to launch an Occupy D.C. protest this Saturday in a park two blocks from the White House.
Protests spread to Canada
Canadians are expected to join the movement on Saturday with demonstrations in Edmonton, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal, Halifax, Toronto and Surrey, B.C.
Occupy Surrey is planning to focus on the visit of former U.S. president George Bush, who is due to appear at next week's Surrey Regional Economic Summit, a break from the largely economic and social inequality complaints that define the larger movement.
"We are the generation we are waiting for and we will not stand for war criminals in Surrey," the group said in a recent tweet.
Prime Minster Stephen Harper said Friday he expects "no major problems" from the Canadian protests, remarking that Canadians have been largely spared from the economic woes that are fuelling protests in the U.S. and overseas.
"We have a very different situation here," Harper said during an appearance in Peterborough, Ont. "Canada has performed very well during the global economic recession. We've managed to create more growth and more jobs than just about any other industrialized country... We're extremely focused on the needs of Canadians and the needs of the middle class."
In Atlanta protesters planned to gather outside CNN headquarters on Friday to demonstrate against a proposed pipeline that would carry oil from the Canadian tar sands through the American Midwest. Occupy Atlanta has been camping out in a nearby park since last week.
An off-shoot movement, Occupy College, on Thursday saw U.S. students on as many as 140 campuses in 25 states protest against high tuition fees and a lack of jobs.
With files from Associated Press
