New York ( CNN ) -- A spirited and leaderless protest in the Wall Street section of New York has entered its third week , helping to inspire a growing number of demonstrations united in their passion if not necessarily their reasons for hitting the streets . The hub of the movement , in Lower Manhattan , was abuzz with activity on Sunday as activists continued to vent their frustrations with everything from `` corporate greed '' to high gas prices to insufficient health insurance . No single group or person heads the effort , which has adopted the name `` Occupy Wall Street . '' While a `` general assembly '' is held daily for those gathered -- be it for a few short hours or by camping out long-term -- to discuss the goings-on and work toward a common mission , the stances being touted currently are diverse . `` We 've gathered here in this place ... to shape a statement of what it is we want , and how we 're going to get to it , '' said Robert Segal , one of the New York protesters . Video : Police arrest hundreds of protesters in NYC . The lack of coherent message has not stopped similar efforts from popping up elsewhere in the United States . `` Occupy Chicago , '' for instance , entered its 10th day on Sunday , a day after an associated website touted `` a huge afternoon march . '' The motto atop a website for `` Occupy Los Angeles , '' which kicked off Saturday with a march from Pershing Square to City Hall , reads : `` The revolution is happening ... It 's just not in the news . '' There are 34 organizations -- from unions to ethnic organizations to activist groups focused on everything from foreclosure prevention to climate change to justice-related issues -- listed as being involved in a like-minded activist coalition in Boston . This group , which held a festival and march Friday and Saturday and has explicitly targeted Bank of America in recent weeks , states on its website that its aim is to `` stop their greed , '' `` fight for an economy that works for all of us '' and `` build cities that are democratic , just and sustainable . '' The website of Seattle demonstrators describes the nationwide effort as `` a leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors , genders and political persuasions . '' `` The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99 % that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1 % , '' the statement continues , referring to what it sees as a sharp divide between the wealthiest Americans and the rest of society . Most demonstrations thus far have been peaceful and uneventful , though in a few cases they have led to numerous arrests . The most high-profile such incident came Saturday , when New York police arrested more than 700 protesters who had occupied the iconic Brooklyn Bridge . They were cited for blocking the roadway , authorities said , and eventually released after being given tickets . The confrontation came as protesters along the road banged drums and chanted , `` The whole world is watching '' as police moved in . Paul J. Browne , the deputy commissioner for the New York City Police Department , said they were given `` multiple warnings '' to stay on the pedestrian walkway and not the main roadway . The incident led to a shutdown of Manhattan-to-Brooklyn bridge traffic for several hours . Demonstrators have said they take their inspiration from the Arab Spring protests that swept through Africa and the Middle East this year . The protest campaign -- which uses the hashtag # occupywallstreet on the microblogging site Twitter -- began in July with the launch of a simple campaign website calling for a march and a sit-in at the New York Stock Exchange . It has gained steam since early September , with crowds taking up residence in a park in New York 's financial district and calling for 20,000 people to flood the area for a `` few months . '' In recent weeks , the New York demonstrators have addressed various issues , including police brutality , union busting and the economy . CNN 's Susan Candiotti and Jordana Ossad contributed to this report .
A park in Lower Manhattan is crowded with `` Occupy Wall Street '' protesters . This effort began in July , and people have camped out there for 3 weeks now . Similar efforts have sprung up in Boston , Chicago , Los Angeles and Seattle . The movement is leaderless and its members have various `` political persuasions ''