After months of preparations and training, Occupy Wall Street returned to the spotlight today in a day protesters dubbed their Spring Awakening. Let’s see if the warmer temperatures will help them stick around… and stick to message. Your thoughts posted below.

Activists are hitting the streets for a day of protests to commemorate May Day, also known as International Workers' Day. Hundreds of demonstrators are marching through Manhattan today, stopping in front of big banks and businesses to protest "corporate greed and government collusion."

May 1st is traditionally a day for unions to advocate for their causes. Occupy Wall Street is using the day to mark a spring revival of its movement. One protester said, "We've lost our voice in politics, all we have left is to protest." Demonstrations are also being held around the world, in countries like France, Spain, Russia and Indonesia. Do you support them?

Do you welcome the May Day protests? Did you see or join a protest around town today? What cause are you fighting for? Are demonstrations like these making a difference?

Send your thoughts using the link above.

All causes and protest that highlight the inequities in the world especially around socio-economic injustices and the fight for human dignity are all worthy.

Felix
Bay Ridge

I think if there is a cohesive message that resonates with many people who are still suffering, job and/or home loss, crushing student debt and across the board inequality, then it might make a difference especially since this an election year.

Teri
Jackson Heights

The occupy folks are correct that Amerika is more olligarchy and gilded age-like than in recent memory however it would the ultimate irony and a greek tragedy if their tactics at the Democratic convention resulted in the election of a moral cripple and human slug like Romney. America the beautiful deserves far better. OBAMA-BIDEN 20I2.

JS
Flushing

I did support them in the beginning but they have to many causes. I personally think that they should approach the Senators and any other elected officials at their venues to propose their grievances because they just get elected under false promises and just hang around for years and years.

They should think over their demands because what it started to be and in the end they all feel as though everything is coming to them for free. This is not possible. They also include immigration.

I do still admire them for taking to the streets but in a civil way without destroying property, etc.

It's a tuff situation and some feel as though society must wipe their credit debts clean.
This is asking to much and it is not a reality.

maxxiee
mp

I don’t support the OWS. They are an admixture of anarchists, thugs, power lusters, morons who can’t construct a sensible sentence, communists, socialists, fascists and more of such. They are totally un-American. They do not believe in individual rights or in the free market.

It’s interesting that they picked May 1 to protest on. It is traditionally the day to celebrate communism. Is this what the OWS are representing? Yes!

Joe
Port Richmond, SI

I'd like to support OWS but I'm not sure what I'd be supporting; they have no cohesive message. At least the Hippies in the 1960's were protesting the Vietnam War.

Jeremy
Forest Hills

redistribute the wealth! claw back Bloomberg's billions.

The only one's hurt by these wall street protestors are the middle class workers who are trying earn a living. It is not the rich who blow them off as insignificant pests. Look at the traffic they tied up today and how they shut down Broadway for those of us who try to conduct our daily business. The wall street protestors lack clarity, purpose and only look to disrupt. They are entirely selfish and don't have my support.

Ray
East New York

Although I support the protests, I do hope those who holds a bullhorn or microphone in hand remember that they are speaking in a public forum, and that there may be small children around.

I got turned off and left when the speech became curse filled rant. Those F-words has no place in these protests.

Craig
Union Square

TO THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT OWS IS PROSTESTING ABOUT IS THE DEATH OF THE AMERICAN DREAM.

PEDRO
BRONX

Occupy Wall Street is just a symptom of the real problems we will need to face over the next 20 years. Ballooning education debt, government spending, coupled with an expensive aging population. The choices are scary. Higher taxes and lower government services - who's going to get elected on that platform?

Frank
Sunset Park

I live down here and they do nothing but create mayhem, disturb the peace and are filth. But I guess I pay taxes and have no rights.

Nick
Midtown

Yes, I support them pick today because most union workers are the 99%. I think OWS will be more sucessful if they write some legislations on the issues they want to address, and work with the politicians who support them to pass it into laws.

Chen
Upper East Side

I think Summer got it right. I couldn't even think of protesting on 5/1; my family escaped from Russia near the beginning of the 20th century; I sure as heck don't want to go back.

I did what I day every Monday - Friday (and some weekends). I went to work. And from my work tax revenue was generated. What did the protesters generate besides whining?

Andrew
Chelsea

To the guy from New Jersey who just called and proposed asking the teachers to teach for free, I'd like him to explain why in Europe somehow a college education is free.

Statistically the U.S is behind AT LEAST five European countries in education, obviously something is not working the way it should.

Olivia

Why do this on May Day? How dumb. The wall street protestors are largely made up of kids and misfits who have nothing to do all day and look to disrupt the working class. The rich are not threatened by them but we who do work have to deal with these idiots who tie up traffic and serve no purpose.

Ben
Brooklyn

Your coverage of the May Day "Protest" is slanted. I was there with DC37. The "protest" was amazingly mellow and Union Square held alot of middle aged square union people.

Dorcas
Elmhurst

I am one of the 99 per centers, but I don't feel at all represented by a mob of scruffy hipsters. I think they should go home!

Frances
East Village

For those saying that this is a Communist agenda - they need to wake up.

This isn't about Communism at all. It's about leveling out equality better than the way it's been tanking. The middle class are losing jobs. The wealthy are getting tax breaks and bail outs. And more every day people are suffering from the way the economy is going.

How is that Communism?

Anne
Fresh Meadows

OWS and their supporters are ranting against the very institutions that have helped preserve and defend their right to protest for 235 years. Why do they only talk about their rights but never about the obligations that go along with them?

Fairness may be a desirable goal. But if OWS decided where the wealth should go, the price would be everyone's freedom. Everyone of these fools should read "The Road To Serfdom" by F. A. Hayek. I bet they'd all go home after they did.

What is the problem with these Overindulged Whining Schmucks. The solution to their problems is to go out and get a job; every Chase Manhattan Bank that I pass has “Help Wanted” signs on them as well as many other smaller establishments. When I was laid off in the 1990 recession, I took a job labeling warehouse boxes as a temp for $10 an hour; it took me six years, but I finally worked my way back up to being a back office manager, as well as the IT manager for another company. These protesters just don’t want to work, now that their parents have finished paying their way from the cradle to adulthood, now they want someone else to pay their way to the grave. They’re just a bunch of slackers who feel it’s beneath them to start at the bottom and work their way up.

Walter
New Dorp

The American dream is nothing more than an American mirage. We've benefited from the spoils of two world wars for too long and the world is not going to finance our living standards and lavish benefits for ever. We cannot export smiles and "social justice." Life is tough, America has forgotten this.

Michael
Queens

Right now youth are upset because unemployment is sky high for their age group. I think they should focus their attention on councilmembers Quinn and Diaz and their job killing anti business platforms that are making a bad problem even worse.

I think its ironic that the same people who lead the rallies are lauded and not vilified.

Bill
Maspeth

The rich laugh at this, and it just angers the working class. It's difficult for those who work everyday to support their families to relate to these protests.

With that said, if they organize their efforts and have one overarching message, they can make a change, and the working class should be thankful that they are represented on the streets while they work.

Patrick
Astoria

I am a 33 year old woman, I pay taxes and I work full-time in NYC. I Support and participated in OWS MayDay at the Flash Mob Mediation today. This is not a party issue- its a humanity issue...take a step back, get quiet and realize how disconnected our country has come from its roots. OCCUPY EVERYWHERE!!

It is sad and irritating that these imbeciles are calling complaining about the traffic OWS causes. It's outrageous that they see protesters as a nuisance while protesters are there for all working class people's benefit.

Avoided the protests because I was supporting parents at a public meeting who were being forced to accept Success Academy charter schools despite community objection. Thank you NY1 for being the the only news show covering it.

Doris
Lower Eastside

Its sad that USA is the only nation in the world, who doesn't celebrate the 1st of May, ppl die for workers rigths. OWS is need it to open the eyes of the USA ppl.

I am speechless about people complaining about OWS being an inconvenience to get around freely in NYC. I am sure the independence war and the civil rights movements inconvenienced a lot of people but it was worthy. I hope OWS becomes a political party and change our sad political options.

Raul

Regarding Occupy Wallstreet-It"s wonderful that so many people can get together and protest the fact that the rich are given tax breaks,that there are no jobs here for either those that have been laid off,those that are just out of college and all the others who are living day to day & not sure what the next day holds. Almost every item I pick up is made in China---it seems that this is where most of our jobs have gone. If something doesn't change soon, we'll have the poor and the rich and no middle class....I worry that this will truly happen. I commend those that marched today as well as the OCCUPY WALLSTREETERS that have continued and haven"t given up. I ThanK THEM And I THANK YOU!!! KEEP UPTHE GOOD WORK!

Mary

It seems to me, that, banking regulation - forced by the will of the people - is the only feasible way at hand to create some social justice in the distribution of wealth. May I 'coin' the phrase: Regupy Wall Street

Daniel