Dear Commons Community,

A day after the People’s Climate March filled the streets of New York, a smaller group of protesters took to the steps of the New York Stock Exchange. Organizers said they were confronting “the system that both causes and profits from the crisis that is threatening humanity.”

The protest did not have a permit, and participants risked arrest. The Huffington Post reported that over one hundred protestors were arrested. Pepper spray was used by the NYPD when protesters moved to block the entrance to Wall Street, attempting to remove barriers and get past police.

“The world seems like it’s ending, and it’s the only thing I can think of to do,” 56-year-old Seth Tobocman told a HuffPost reporter just before he was arrested.

Monday’s Flood Wall Street demonstration had a more frankly anti-capitalist message than the massive march that took over midtown Manhattan on Sunday. Many of those present were veterans of Occupy, including organizers like Lisa Fithian, dubbed “Professor Occupy“ for her role in teaching tactics to that movement.

“I feel like the source of all our problems in the world is coming from the very top of the financial ladder,” said Jordan, a 23-year-old college student who skipped class to attend the protest. “

Tony