Occupy Denver Marches In Support Of May Day, 1 Arrested
DENVER (CBS4/AP) - Occupy Denver supporters were rallying in solidarity with May Day marchers calling for workers' rights around the world.
Nearly 200 people marched from near the Capitol toward the state labor department on Tuesday. They were blocked by police and turned back.
Just after 1:45 p.m. the protesters were also marching around 17th and Broadway. There were also reports they blocked bus traffic on the 16th Street Mall for a while.
Police surrounded one man who was lying on the pavement but it wasn't clear if he had been arrested.
Police said one person has been arrested on a charge of public fighting. Occupy protesters saw it differently.
"All the Occupy people who are wearing vests and who are the marshals said, 'Please get back in line, do not block the traffic.' And he was playing around, so the police came and arrested him," a protester told CBS4.
The marchers stopped in front of the Federal Reserve Bank. Police on bikes and in patrol cars accompanied the marchers but didn't try to interfere.
"A lot of things have got to change. We need to make a lot of change in America and the world," another protester said.
The march then moved on to 14th Street and protesters began walking in the traffic.
"I'm not thrilled about it. They can do it somewhere else, they don't have to go down the middle of the street," a driver said.
After dark, supporters are being asked to participate in an outdoor "slumber party" to protest a proposed ban on unauthorized camping in Denver. The proposal is aimed at reducing the number of homeless people sleeping on the streets.
One of the march organizers, Terry Burnsed, said the Occupy movement is concerned about workers' rights, immigration and corporate greed, saying "It's all one fight."
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