In Oct. 2011, over 700 Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested during a confrontation with the NYPD on the Brooklyn Bridge. It remains the largest mass arrest in the history of the movement. Most of the arrests were for disorderly conduct or obstructing government administration (i.e., bullshit), and only a few of them held up in court. Very few.
Of the 732 arrests, 680 of the cases were dismissed. There were another 21 where the charges were dropped, while six people plead guilty to disorderly conduct. Two people were acquiited, one plea was resolved via another case and 17 people never bothered to show up in court. Just five people were convicted.
That means 93 percent of the people arrested that fateful October day had their cases dismissed. They fought the law—and they won.
[via Gothamist]
RELATED: 700 Occupy Wall Street Protesters Arrested by NYPD at Brooklyn Bridge (Gallery)
