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Arrests made in Occupy St. Louis march to MLK bridge

This is a developing story. We will update it with more information as we know it.

Updated at 6:30 p.m. with quotes from Elliott and march organizer.

Update 5:05 p.m.: Among those arrested this afternoon was Gary Elliott, president of LIUNA (Laborers’ International Union of North America) Local 110, according to a press release distributed by Progress Missouri.

In an interview during the march, Elliott said it was time for him to put his words into action.

"It's one thing to say you feel sorry for people," Elliott said. "It's another thing to actually go out and actually take a little bit of risk to get the things that this country needs."

The march route took protestors past the local headquarters of Bank of America and the Federal Reserve. Johnathan McFarland, an Occupy St. Louis organizer, called it symbolic of America's misplaced priorities.

"We need to rebuild our infrastructure," he said. "And people need jobs rebuilding the infrastructure as opposed to bailing out banks that don't really provide jobs."

Most marchers returned to Kiener Plaza after the arrests, though a few continued on toward the City Justice Center, where the arrested protesters were taken.

Update 4:42 p.m.: Via our reporter Rachel Lippmann:

14 people have been arrested this afternoon and the march of Occupy St. Louis protesters is making its way back to Kiener Plaza.

Update: 4:36 p.m. via the Associated Press: At least a dozen Occupy St. Louis protesters were arrested after their attempt to block the entrance to a Mississippi River bridge on the two-month anniversary of the Occupy movement.

Police were waiting on several hundred protesters when the throng arrived at the Martin Luther King Bridge shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday. About 15 to 20 protesters then sat down cross-legged, with their arms locked.

Officers moved in and arrested them when they refused to move.

They offered no resistance.

The crowd of protesters included labor unions and other sympathizers who marched from Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis to the bridge.

Members of Occupy St. Louis had camped in the plaza for several weeks before early Saturday, when police took down the tents and arrested demonstrators for curfew violations.

Via our reporter Rachel Lippmann:

About a dozen Occupy St. Louis protesters have sat down at the entrance to the MLK bridge.

St. Louis police are moving in now to arrest them and telling those nearby to move away or they’ll face arrest as well.

Hundreds more protesters are nearby.

They marched from Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis to the bridge, as part of a nationwide effort to mark the two-month anniversary of the Occupy Movement.

 

 

Rachel is the justice correspondent at St. Louis Public Radio.
Maria is the newscast, business and education editor for St. Louis Public Radio.