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Occupy Wall Street protestors hold a sign during a demonstration on
September 17, 2012 in San Francisco, California. An estimated 100
Occupy Wall Street protestors staged a demonstration and march through
downtown San Francisco to mark the one year anniversary of the birth of
the Occupy movement.
Occupy San Francisco protesters have
returned to Justin Herman Plaza Monday evening vowing to "retake" the
site of their previous encampment.
The plaza along the Embarcadero --
dubbed Bradley Manning Plaza by the protesters for a former U.S. Army
intelligence analyst accused of leaking classified information to
WikiLeaks -- was turned into a bustling camp late last year before
protesters were told to evacuate the plaza by city officials.
Protesters returned to the plaza
tonight following a day of rallies and marches to mark the one-year
anniversary since the beginning of the Occupy Wall Street movement in
New York.
Marches through downtown San
Francisco streets this afternoon disrupted traffic and Muni service
sporadically before a 5 p.m. rally in front of 555 California St.
Following the rally, several hundred
protesters marched to Wells Fargo headquarters at 420 Montgomery St.,
gathering there for several hours.
A brass band was among those
marching, and another group stood behind a large yellow banner
proclaiming themselves "Foreclosure Fighters," the banner's background
scrawled with the names of banks and investment firms like Fannie Mae
and Chase.
The protesters chanted as they
marched, including Occupy mainstays like "Banks got bailed out, we got
sold out" and appropriated chants for the day like, "The system has got
to die, happy birthday Occupy."
Outside of Wells Fargo's
headquarters, demonstrators threw debt slips and financial paperwork
into a trashcan, symbolically sending the banks a message that they did
not intend to repay their debts.
Others painted a large yellow mural on the street that said, "Democracy not debt."
One protester, Scott Rossi, said he
had been with Occupy SF from the beginning and that he was heartened to
see such a large turnout for today's rally and march.
Rossi said that today's crowd
appeared to be a little more militant and radical than the crowds
Occupy protests initially drew last year.
Protesters then marched back through
city streets, eventually arriving at Justin Herman Plaza at about 9
p.m., where they remained tonight vowing to "retake" the plaza. No
arrests have been reported.
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