Occupy Wall Street has returned to the streets of New York to mark the second anniversary of the birth of the social protest movement.
Some 250 people gathered on Tuesday in Zuccotti Park in Manhattan's downtown financial district, where the movement first gained ground.
As police kept a close eye, the activists then peacefully marched up Broadway to Washington Square.
At least three people were arrested for blocking traffic.
The demonstrators carried signs with a multitude of messages. One read "Too much deregulation." "Disarm the Pentagon," read another.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
The Occupy movement was born in New York on September 17, 2011, when a group of youths put up tents in Zuccotti Square to protest social and economic inequality with the slogan "We are the 99 per cent."
It quickly spread to other US cities but fizzled out due to a lack of hierarchy and clear goals.
The tent camps were subsequently raided by police. In New York, authorities went in early on November 15, 2011, to clean up the square.
"I was here at the beginning," said Jason Woody, an activist marking Tuesday's anniversary.
"It's funny because a lot of people like to say that Occupy is dead, but it's not exactly what happened," the 29-year-old added.
Instead, he said, people took what they learned by coming together back to their home communities to start other movements there.
"The things we did here did inspire people in all parts of the world, to stand up and take control," he said.
"It has been a long hard journey ...We changed the conversation in this country."
Another demonstration was planned later on Tuesday at the United Nations.
