Occupy Protesters Plan Day of Action in Washington

Posted November 23rd, 2011 at 12:30 pm (UTC-5)
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U.S. protesters who marched from New York to Washington are planning a day of action Wednesday in the nation's capital.

A reporter for The Washington Post who has been following the group said the protesters intend to shut down part of the city to protest the failure of a so-called congressional “supercommittee” to reach agreement on cutting U.S. deficit.

The marchers, part of the anti-capitalist Occupy Wall Street movement, arrived in Washington Tuesday after a two-week, more than 370-kilometer trek from New York's Zuccotti Park.

Not all of the more than 20 people who set off on the “Occupy the Highway” march ended up coming all the way to Washington. But with the addition of new marchers, the group had grown to more than 40 by the time it reached the capital.

The Occupy movement has spread to cities worldwide since it started in Zuccotti Park more than two months ago.

Tensions between demonstrators and local authorities have escalated as police clear protester encampments.

In the U.S., an Associated Press survey of local government agencies finds Occupy protests nationwide have cost taxpayers at least $13 million in police overtime and other municipal services.

Organizers say the “Occupy the Highway” march was timed to coincide with the supercommittee's announcement on a deficit reduction deal. The group says the aim was to “bring a message to Congress to end corporate welfare and tax breaks for the rich and to stimulate the economy by rebuilding the country's infrastructure and investing in education, clean energy and public health.”