Video: More Marches, No Arrests in Boston this Weekend

The cost of war

Veterans for Peace attracted an eclectic group of activists to a downtown rally and subsequent march Saturday afternoon, tying their “bring the troops home” goal to the economic messages of the “Occupy Boston” protests on the 10th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan.

The rally included hundreds of activists that ranged from Ron Paul supporters, federal reserve critics, anarchists, families with young children, 9/11 conspiracy theorists, mainstream Democrats and more.

The protesters sporadically stopped outside of different locations throughout downtown Boston, including a Hyatt Hotel, a Verizon Wireless store and a Bank of America office, where speakers decried what they described as their “corporate crimes” against labor and the broader economy.

No arrests were made, and police seemed to enjoy a cordial relationship with the march's organizers. Leaders were often seen laughing with police and jointly coordinating the march.

The events were part of a broader international day of action organized by Occupy Wall Street, who said protests were held in 951 cities in 82 different countries.

Locals pledge to return

Two Mystic Valley Regional Charter School ninth graders joined a ninth grader from Boston Latin, at the crowd congregating in Dewey Sq. after the march.

“I was just curious and came out to see what was going on,” one of the Mystic Valley students said. “I decided it was really interesting.”

“We should know what's going on with Wall Street, and how the big corporate businesses are getting all the goods,” she laughed. “A huge percentage of us are having a hard time looking for jobs, and there's a big gap between the middle class and upper class. I think we ought to fix that.”

The other charter school student from Melrose, whose friends described as “the political one,” said she was inspired by the group's message.

“They need to start taxing the rich and stop the bailouts,” she said.

She added that she felt like “she belonged,” at the protest. All three pledged to return to protest next weekend.

Patrick visits Occupy Boston unannounced

The event came after Gov. Deval Patrick made an unannounced visit to the Occupy Boston campsite at Dewey Sq. this morning, saying he wanted to learn more about the project.

One protester followed Patrick, repeatedly asking “Who here has a $4 million home, raise your hand.” Patrick did not respond, according to reports.

“There are people here representing the hard left, the hard right, and everything in between,” he told reporters.

Patrick declined to speak about how long the protesters should be allowed to stay in Dewey Square.