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CNN Sunday Morning

NYPD Prepared for Worst

Aired February 03, 2002 - 11:35   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And police in New York were prepared for the worst, but the protesters at the World Economic Forum have been relatively peaceful. CNN's Jason Carroll has the latest from New York. Hi, Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you. Relatively peaceful and relatively quiet right now, Fredricka, out here near the Waldorf Astoria hotel. There's still a heavy police presence out here near the hotel. You can look right across Park Avenue and see a number of police officers that are still out here.

What we don't see at this point are protesters. Basically, the protesters have broken up, not very much scheduled for today. Most of the demonstrations that we've seen so far this weekend, Fredricka, have been basically peaceful. But yesterday, on Fifth Avenue, which is located not too far from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, police did get into a confrontation with a group of protesters that were out there.

Police made 36 arrests, mostly for Disorderly Conduct, and Unlawful Assembly. But despite that confrontation, New York City's Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says, most of the demonstrators basically behaved well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAYMOND KELLY, NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: So far, so good. Again, we're not here to declare victory by any means. The forum is going forward. I've gotten positive feedback from the participants in the forum, and again, the demonstrations - the demonstrators have caused a minimum of disruption to the city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Yesterday afternoon, we saw what was by far the largest demonstration of the weekend. It was put together by a group called Another World is Possible Coalition. They gathered thousands of people as they marched through the streets of Midtown Manhattan, toward the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, representing a number of different issues ranging from labor to the environment.

That protest basically ended right near the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. It broke up early in the evening. Basically, that was a peaceful demonstration as well. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much, Jason Carroll from New York.

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