Protesters and cops clash at N17 events around Oregon


Protesters in Portland, Eugene, Corvallis and The Dalles staged their “N17” day of protest against the financial industry, clashing with cops and leading to numerous arrests.

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Protesters in Portland, Eugene, Corvallis and The Dalles staged their “N17” day of protest against the financial industry, clashing with cops and leading to numerous arrests.

The largely light-hearted protests of earlier in the day gave way to a couple of scary moments late in the afternoon. First, police used a mounted patrol and pepper spray to clear the street near a JP Morgan Chase branch adjacent to Pioneer Courthouse Square. Then officers briefly rushed the crowd before the situation calmed again. 

“This was a kickoff for sure,” said Kari Koch, N17 spokeswoman. “We want to really start connecting Occupy Portland with the issues that affect people’s everyday lives, things like foreclosures, the bank bailout and the industry’s clout with Washington.” 

Activists are betting that Americans, gripped by a level of economic insecurity unprecedented in recent times, take a dimmer view of the big banks. People who may have no sympathy for bedraggled protesters taking over a city park may well know someone who lost a home to foreclosure or a college grad who is looking for work, living with her parents and struggling to pay off student debt.

Read more at OregonLive.com.

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