Protestors joined by social media rail against Wall St. greed - forcing NYPD to lock down streets

The rally, dubbed #OccupyWallStreet, was intended to energize lefty-leaning Americans to mimic protests in Egypt, Tunisia and other Middle Eastern and European capitals.

"It's a worthy cause because people on Wall Street are blood-sucking warmongers," said Bill Steyerd, 68, a Vietnam veteran from Queens. "I'm here, and in spite of these dinky barricades, we're going to shut down Wall Street with people power."

New Yorkers protested against 'greedy' bankers and politicians. (Kevin Hagen for News)

The march - which seemed to fall short of the organizers' goal of 20,000 protestors - was met with a sizeable police presence.

The NYPD used barricades to establish checkpoints, and only those could prove they lived or worked on Wall Street were allowed to enter. That meant scores of tourists hoping for a glimpse of the iconic street were turned away.

Undeterred, protestors walked laps around the area before settling at Zuccotti Park on Broadway. Organizers, which include the Vancouver-based counter-culture magazine Adbusters and the hacker group Anonymous, also planned marches for Madrid, London and Paris. Some protestors vowed to camp out for days on Wall Street, but it was not clear if cops would permit them. Others said they would heckle President Obama, in town this week for the UN General Assembly.

via www.nydailynews.com