By Dave Lucas
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-993547.mp3
Albany, NY – State Police arrested Occupy demonstrators Saturday night across the street from the State Capitol Building in Albany... WAMC's Dave Lucas reports.
On Saturday Afternoon, 39-year old Bradley Russell announced he would exercise his First Amendment rights by occupying a spot on the strip of land in Lafayette Park, which adjoins the city's Academy Park, home to an Occupy movement "tent city"- Russell vowed to erect what he called a "Freedom Fort" on state grounds.
Russell didn't have to wait until the 11pm curfew - around 3pm State Police arrested him on for trespassing: he was released shortly thereafter and immediately returned to the park. By 11pm several others joined him in a peaceful but noisy protest - a gathering troopers interrupted just after 11 - officers moved in and arrested around 2 dozen participants - as Governor Cuomo promised they would - Police instructed reporters in the park to leave or risk arrest.
Russell says he'll take the Governor to court because his constitutional rights to assemble trump any curfew. The Albany Occupy site is one of 2-thousand such encampments across the globe.