Occupy protests snarl traffic, provoke arrests

Police arrested dozens of protesters downtown Wednesday during Occupy D.C.’s “day of action” after they blocked traffic on K Street for three blocks, laid down in the street and refused to move even when threatened with arrest.

Protesters had planned the event on K Street for some time, intending to protest lobbying firms and corporate influence in politics. After a march to the Podesta Group, a lobbying firm run by the brother of a former Bill Clinton Chief of Staff John Podesta, Occupiers poured into the streets outside McPherson Square, set up several tents in three intersections and blocked traffic for hours.