In Occupy Wall Street's eighth day, protesters claim on their Twitter account today that they have been targeted by tear gas, and at least 50 people have been arrested during their march through the city this afternoon headed toward the United Nations building.
Member of Occupy Wall Street's Public Relations Working Group Patrick Bruner said that he heard accounts of the tear gas from people who were monitoring the protest's livestream and from another person who was in contact with someone "on the ground."
"I'm working on confirming that," he said. "I'm pretty sure it's accurate."
That said, he added that he hasn't been able to get a first-hand confirmation.
When we reached out to the NYPD's Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information we were told that the NYPD does not use tear gas and does not have it.
About 20 minutes after Occupy Wall Street tweeted about the tear gas, they added that more than 50 people have been arrested and five women were maced.
Bruner said that the arrests likely happened somewhere between 12th Street and Union Square. The report of five women being maced came to him from someone on the scene, he said, adding that that information has to be taken "with a grain of salt."
