In the next few days Occupy Wall Street will have more and more going for it and be better prepared for inevitable MSM close-up and scrutiny. No confirmed arrests yesterday and signs of improved relations with the NYPD as Occupy Wall Street protesters end their first week of occupation and settle into Zuccotti Park a.k.a. Liberty Plaza in NYC.

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LINK: WATCH LIVE HERE

LINK: See Day 9 Coverage of Occupy Wall Street HERE

7:57 PM - Occupy Wall Street marchers have started off for One Police Plaza.  NYPD are following with arrest net.

7:30 PM - Dark now.  Above Lady Liberty (name unknown) wrapped in an American Flag and Betsy Ross wig makes impassioned appeal to NYPD officers, "We're fighting for you pension, we'er fighting for your social security, we're fighting for you children and your children's children.  We're fighting for liberty.  We're peaceful."

LINK: Don't Stop Now: 13 Things You Can Do NOW to Support OWS

7:00 PM - General Assembly decides half of Liberty Plaza protesters to remain and keep the occupation. The of 1/2 of the protesters will be marching to One Police Plaza to demand information and medical care for those arrested.

6:00 PM - 2000 occupiers remain in Liberty Plaza.  They are being surrounded with NYPD fencing.  Many more protesters have evacuated.  

4:25 PM - 60 plus protesters arrested at Union Square many pepper sprayed.  Details as they become available.  Orange nets used.

At Liberty Plaza:  NY Police: "The use of an Umbrella is a safety Hazard. Put it down!"

Police stopped marchers in street with barricades.  Marchers chanted, "let them go!  Let them go!" referring to those already arrested.  Police picked a few protesters, who were not in the street but standing on the sidewalk out of the crowd and arrested them."

One eyewitness at the scene said she heard police officers saying: "Rough her up."

Call+demand protestors be released 728-520-9311

LINK: 13 Things You Can Do to Support Occupy Wall Street

Media team arrested. Rain on way & police demand removal of umbrella protecting gear in media tent.

Media Team Arrested: Live Stream Continues.

11:55 AM - Occupy Wall Street receives eviction notice.

Box Score: (as of 12:01 AM September 24, 2011)

Occupy Wall Street Protesters arrested: 81+

Wall Street Banksters arrested: 0

No confirmed arrests yesterday as Occupy Wall Street protesters end their first week of occupation and settle into Zuccotti Park a.k.a. Liberty Plaza in NYC.

Crowds during the day were thinned by rain but the Closing Bell March went off as schedules at 4:30 p.m.

Last night, the NYPD provide the OWS media team with a giant picnic umbrella to protect the live video feed and other communications computers from the heavy rains.  The media team did a live video shout-out of thanks to the NYPD for their help.  

Tarps and tents are still not allowed in Liberty Plaza at this time.

Several protesters claim to have overheard individual police officers discussing tacit personal, not official, support of the protest.  

The occupiers are generally trying to maintain working relations with the police though some are totally opposed to the police presence and are quick to voice their distrust.

MSM Media Blackout: Commentary

I am a pessimist by nature, yet I'm beginning to wonder if the MSM black-out of Occupy Wall Street this past week isn't a glass half full.   Here's my thinking.

This movement, symbolized by the current occupation of Liberty Plaza (Zuccotti Park) near Wall Street in NYC, is a real grass roots movement and organizing such a movement is difficult and takes time.

In the next few days Occupy Wall Street will have more and more going for it and be better prepared the inevitable MSM close-up and scrutiny.

What's better? a) The occupiers have been here 6 days; or b) The occupiers have been here 8, 15, 21 days, have raised $X tens of thousands in donations, their numbers are growing daily and they intend to stay indefinitely.

What's better? a) Their numbers have grown over the past 7 days; or b) without any significant media coverage Occupy Wall Street held a march Saturday with thousands arriving from all over the country.

What's better? a) We're in the process of developing our Working Principles of Solidarity and our Demands; or b) These are our Principles of Solidarity, this is what we stand for and these are our Demands.

What's better? a) They've occupied NYC's Zucotti Park for 7 days and are expecting more supporters and participants; or b) Occupations are now also under way in X, Y and Z cities.

What's better? a) The occupiers have joined in solidarity with three labor union locals and a few others groups; or b) After just X number of days the list of other organizations joining this effort is too numerous to mention, they include...

As an old public relations man, I know "just spell my name right" is only half the job.   When you start getting serious local, regional and national coverage, both print and TV, you want to do your best to get your message out and prevent the media from perverting it.

I believe Occupy Wall Street will definitely have a better message and be better equipped to deliver it in the coming days.   Stay authentic.   Stay honest.   Keep working on your core beliefs and when show time comes, you're going to be great.

Authors Bio:
Chaz Valenza is writer and small business owner in New Jersey. He earned his MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business. His current feature film project is "Single Point Failure" an insider's account of how the Reagan Administration caused the greatest tragedy of the space age based on Richard C. Cook's book "Challenger Revealed." He is a former Director of Public Information for Planned Parenthood of NYC. His website is: www.WordsWillNever.com