Neither wind nor rain nor snow deterred New York's Occupy Wall Street protesters Saturday.
SOUNDBITE: Donald Afflick President of the Coalition of Black Trade Unions for New York City , saying (English):
"The spirit is not going to die. This is just the start of the movement. The movement is going to keep going, winter, rain, shine or cold, we're going to be out here to make sure this works because 99 percent of the people deserve, deserve a better condition in this country, and if we don't march now...when?"
Snow dusted the tents in the lower Manhattan park where demonstrators have set-up camp to make their case against economic inequity.
SOUNDBITE: New York resident Stacey Mazurek, saying (English):
"I mean, it's beautiful though seeing everybody come out. I mean, it's snow and it's brutal and it's cold and my feet are cold and I've only been outside, maybe 45 minutes, an hour and the fact that people are staying out here in this weather, I find is amazing."
Doubts have been raised about protesters braving the harsh winter ahead, but some say the weather will have the opposite effect.
SOUNDBITE: New York resident Tom Fatone, saying (English):
"I think it's going to actually grow. Already I'm noticing people are handing out hand warmers, socks, ponchos, blankets, and this is just the start. And I think the more there's tactics that are being used to try and take away the warmth, like taking away the generators, you know, supposedly for our safety, the more people are going to react to that and they're just going to provide more things. We're going to find ways to make it work."
The "Occupy Wall Street" movement has spread to cities around the United States and overseas. Several cities have grown impatient with the protesters camping in public areas and a few have tried to evict them, including Atlanta and Oakland.
Deborah Lutterbeck, Reuters