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A mass march of thousands in New York City this week expressed outrage at the killing of unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin by a man who remains free. The “Million Hoodie March” was attended by thousands of people affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement, and came just days after a revival of street activities by the movement. Earlier in the month, on the six month anniversary of the start of the movement that has inspired a nation against corporate greed, activists retook the site of the original encampment – Zuccotti Park which was renamed Liberty Square. A new encampment has also begun at Union Square. At both locations, the New York Police Department have continued using heavy-handed tactics, forcibly and violently pushing out activists. During Tuesday’s “Million Hoodie March,” at which Trayvon Martin’s parents were present, police pressure forced the thousands of activists into several groups that converged at Times Square, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Liberty Square. Later, using metal barricades NYPD officers tried to push out hundreds of protesters from Union Square, a park that is generally accessible to the public 24 hours a day. Decrying police brutality against the Occupy movement, the New York City Council, opposing Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s position, this week denounced police violence at the six-month reoccupation of Zuccotti.

A five page internal report from the Department of Homeland Security was recently acquired by Wikileaks and published by Rolling Stone Magazine (click here for a link), revealing the extent to which this federal agency was concerned about the movement last Fall. The leaked report acknowledges that “financial services stands [as] the sector most impacted by the …protests. Due to the location of the protests in major metropolitan areas, heightened and continuous situational awareness for security personnel across all CI (critical infrastructure) sectors is encouraged.”

Meanwhile, Oakland, California, is witnessing a similar resurgence with several dozen protesters occupying Mosswood Park near downtown Oakland on Wednesday. Also this week, a California judge barred UC Berkeley students from continuing an encampment on their campus. Occupy activists all over the nation, including here in Southern California, are building up for a major May 1st General Strike.

GUEST: Karanja Gacuca, Occupy Wall Street organizer and former Wall Street Risk Analyst

Visit www.occupywallst.org and www.fthebanks.org for more information.