Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Occupy Wall Street Promises "Special Treat" In Grand Central Tonight
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 3, 2012
Modified Jan 3, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 3, 2012
Modified Jan 3, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
[SPOILER UPDATE BELOW] Those of you heading home through Grand Central tonight are in for a surprise, courtesy Occupy Wall Street! Demonstrators will be in the terminal at 5 p.m. for "a spontaneous show of people power in reaction to Obama’s treasonous signing of the National Defense Authorization Act." And in addition to the spontaneous show, protesters are promising a mysterious "special treat." Hmmm, a Hipster Cop kissing booth? Twinkling finger puppet show? Tenting?
Demonstrators are spending the bulk of the afternoon freezing their butts off marching to the offices of Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand to protest the NDAA, which President Obama signed into law on New Year's Eve, sparking considerable outrage. (Schumer and Gillibrand both voted for it, Al Franken did not.) The NDAA contains an amendment that Amnesty International says "could spell indefinite detention without a hearing, keep Guantanamo open, and hinder fair trials." The act allows for the military detention of American citizens, indefinitely and without due process, even if arrested in the U.S.
Obama did release a legally non-binding signing statement promising not to use the amendments to indefinitely detain American citizens, but he also previously promised to veto the NDAA, and look what happened there. Author Naomi Wolf, who was arrested at an Occupy Wall Street demonstration last year, is outraged, writing "incredibly, ninety-three Senators voted to support this bill and now most of Congress: a roster of names that will live in infamy in the history of our nation, and never be expunged from the dark column of the history books."
[Update: Animal New York says the "special treat" is a "flash mob mic check." Oh, Occupy Wall Street, you're going to spoil us!
After Grand Central, protesters will march up Fifth Avenue for a "tour" of 1 percent homes. And then there will be another attempt at holding a General Assembly meeting at 100 William Street, a privately-owned public park where, on Sunday night, they were threatened with arrest for peacefully assembling. (Yesterday we shared video of police shooing them away.) And if that doesn't work, we've just been told Zuccotti Park is now reopened after occupiers were kept out for several days following the New Year's Eve rally.
Update, 6:15 p.m.: Protesters have been arrested...possibly for shouting?
Tagged
grand central
ndaa
occupy wall street
protests
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .