The following is a timeline of Occupy Wall Street (OWS), a protest which began on September 17, 2011 on Wall Street, the financial district of New York City and included the occupation of Zuccotti Park, where protesters established a permanent encampment. The Occupy movement splintered after NYC Mayor Bloomberg had police raid the encampment in Zuccotti Park on November 15, 2011. The timeline here is limited to this particular protest during this approximate time-frame (e.g., September 17 to November 15, 2011).

However, the chronology does encompass subsequent events if they are specific to both OWS and Zuccotti Park. After November 2011, various events and protests have continued at Zuccotti Park that claim to be associated with OWS. But permanent encampments, including extended protests and occupations of Zuccotti Park, are no longer permitted.

Chronology of events 2011 Pre-Occupy Wall Street June 9 – Kalle Lasn from Adbusters (a Canadian anti-consumerist organization) registers the OccupyWallStreet.org web address. July 13 – Adbusters makes the initial proposal for a peaceful demonstration to occupy Wall Street. August 2 – with the "debt-ceiling deadline" of midnight August 2 drawing nearI.e., the date and time when the U.S. would enter "sovereign default" status. (see: United States debt-ceiling crisis), a group calling itself "New Yorkers Against Budget Cuts" chose August 2 to incorporate a "General Assembly" with another group holding a strategy session for OWS. The two groups join in a demonstration at the Charging Bull sculpture, which stands in Bowling Green park in Lower Manhattan, at 4:30 p.m. Afterwards, these two groups "gather[ed] into working groups to plan for the September 17 event". August 9 – Dylan Ratigan criticizes US political-banking ties on MSNBC's The Dylan Ratigan Show. August 14 – Warren Buffett publishes the editorial "Stop Coddling the Super Rich" in the New York Times Op-Ed section. August 23 – The hacktivist group Anonymous encourages its followers to take part in the protest.

September 2011 September 3 – Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich publishes a long opinion article in The New York Times claiming that the productivity gains in the last 30 years have gone mostly to the top fifth of earners.

September 17 – The first day of the OWS gathering. An estimated 1,000 people attend on the first day. The original location for the protest was One Chase Manhattan Plaza, with Bowling Green Park (the site of the "Charging Bull") and Zuccotti Park as alternate choices. Police discovered this before the protest began and fenced off two locations; but they left Zuccotti Park, the group's third choice, open. Since the park was private property, police could not legally force protesters to leave without being requested to do so by the property owner. In the beginning, officers of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) prohibited protesters from erecting tents, citing loitering rules. September 19 – Keith Olbermann, of Current TV, becomes the first major journalist to focus on the protests. September 20 – Police arrest mask-wearing protesters, using a law which bans masked gatherings unless part of "a masquerade party or like entertainment". September 21 – The Colbert Report satirizes the protests and major newspapers including The Guardian and The New York Times begin reporting on the protests. September 24 – At least 80 arrests are made by the NYPD after protesters begin marching uptown, forcing the closure of several streets. September 25 – YouTube discloses that the group Anonymous uploads a video around 4:30 pm on this day, threatening the NYPD: "If we hear of brutality in the next 36 hours then we will take you down from the internet as you have taken the protesters[sic] voices from the airwaves." September 26 – The name of the police officer who maced some young women on September 24 is revealed as Anthony Bologna by Anonymous. They also reveal the names of the officer's children and where they go to school, inviting retribution from the public. The official OWS website demands jail time for Bologna and the resignation of NYC Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. As of April 2013, Bologna is facing a civil suit.No Charges for Police Commanders Over Actions During Protests April 19, 2013, New York Times Noam Chomsky spoke out in support of the OWS protests. That evening, filmmaker Michael Moore addressed the crowd at Zuccotti Park. September 27 – Over 700 Continental and United pilots, joined by additional pilots from other Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) carriers, demonstrate in front of Wall Street September 27 – An OWS afternoon march merged with a rally by postal workers protesting against a five-day delivery week. NYC Councilman Charles Barron visited Zuccotti Park and announced his support for OWS. Later, Dr. Cornel West spoke at the park and opened the daily General Assembly. September 28 – The board of the local union of the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU Local-100) voted to support Occupy Wall Street. Police Commissioner Kelly publicly stated that the NYPD cannot bar protesters from Zuccotti Park since it is a privately owned public park and plaza that is required to stay open 24 hours a day.Fractenberg, Ben (September 28, 2011). "Zuccotti Park Can't Be Closed to Wall Street Protesters, NYPD Says" DNA Info. Retrieved October 7, 2011. September 30 – More than 1,000 demonstrators, including representatives from various labor organizations, hold a peaceful march to the NYPD headquarters, a few blocks north of nearby New York City Hall, to protest what they said was a heavy-handed police response the previous week. No arrests are reported.

October 2011

October 1 – Protesters set out to march across the Brooklyn Bridge. The New York Times reported that more than 700 arrests were made. Some said the police had tricked protesters, allowing them onto the bridge, and even escorting them partway across. Jesse A. Myerson, a media coordinator for Occupy Wall Street said, "The cops watched and did nothing, indeed, seemed to guide us onto the roadway." However, some statements by protesters supported descriptions of the event given by police: for example, one protester Tweeted that "The police didn't lead us on to the bridge. They were backing the [expletive] up." A spokesman for the New York Police Department, Paul Browne, said that protesters were given multiple warnings to stay on the sidewalk and not block the street, and were arrested when they refused. By October 2, all but 20 of the arrestees had been released with citations for disorderly conduct and a New York City Criminal Court summons. October 5 – An estimated 5,000 to 15,000 demonstrators marching from lower Manhattan's Foley Square to Zuccotti Park. The march is mostly peaceful until after nightfall, when some demonstrators are arrested after 200 people storm barricades blocking them from Wall Street.

October 10 – NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg states that so long as protesters operate under the law, they will not be arrested. Protesters perceive this statement as a change in Bloomberg's stance, and the official @OccupyWallSt Twitter account declares, "Bloomberg said we can stay indefinitely! Big win!" October 13 – Mayor Bloomberg told demonstrators they would need to clear Zuccotti Park for it to be cleaned. The NYPD issued a statement saying that the protesters would no longer be allowed to keep sleeping equipment in the area.Gabbatt, Adam (October 13, 2011)."Occupy Wall Street: Protesters Fear Eviction – Thursday 13 October 2011 – Occupy Wall Street Protesters Are Bracing Themselves for Eviction as Police Insist They Will Not Be Allowed To Keep Sleeping Equipment in Zuccotti Park After It Is Cleaned". News Blog (blog of The Guardian). Retrieved October 16, 2011. October 14 – Brookfield Office Properties postponed cleaning Zuccotti Park.Deprez, Esmé E.; Stonington, Joel; Dolmetsch, Chris (October 14, 2011). "Occupy Wall Street Park Cleaning Postponed". Bloomberg. Retrieved October 16, 2011. October 15 – Thousands protested the Manhattan U.S. Armed Forces recruiting station.Schabner, Dean; Gray, Katti; Kloeffler, Dan (October 15, 2011). "Occupy Wall Street Marchers Take Times Square". ABC News. Retrieved October 16, 2011. October 16 – President Obama extended support for the protesters. and the White House issued a statement saying Obama is working for the interests of the 99%. October 26 – Hundreds of OWS protesters marched near Union Square in support of Iraq War veteran and Occupy Oakland protester Scott Olsen who was in intensive care after being hit by a police-fired projectile.

November 2011 November 15 – At about 1am, NYPD began to clear Zuccotti Park. City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez is reported to have been arrested when he and a group of other protesters tried to push their way through a line of police officers who were trying to prevent additional protesters from entering the park. The official statement released by Mayor Bloomberg's office explained the purpose of the late-night eviction:

This action was taken at this time of day to reduce the risk of confrontation in the park, and to minimize disruption to the surrounding neighborhood...[Mayor Bloomberg] [has] become increasingly concerned – as had the park's owner, Brookfield Properties – that the occupation was coming to pose a health and fire safety hazard to the protestors and to the surrounding community.

Journalists have been barred from entering immediate area of eviction since the raid began, and Mayor Bloomberg cited this as a way "to protect members of the press," and "to prevent a situation from getting worse". A CBS press helicopter was not allowed into the airspace above the park, which has been interpreted as an effort to limit media coverage of the event. A judge has issued a temporary restraining order in favor of the protestors, requiring Mayor Bloomberg to show cause for eviction. Mayor Bloomberg is scheduled to address the court order at 11:30am ET. Occupy Wall Street's statement released in response to the eviction cited exercising their right to assemble and the need to create a "civic space" as essential to changing public discourse. The Mayor's Office released statement addressing the complaints of protesters, including the following:

Some media outlets report that in the process of clearing out the park, 5,554 books at The People's Library are taken by police and stored at a sanitation facility to be picked up later by protesters. Other media sources report that 2800 books were destroyed by the police and that OWS eventually settled a lawsuit with the city, collecting $232K.Occupy Wall Street settles lawsuit with city over books destruction for $232K

November 17 – More than 30,000 demonstrated in and around Zuccotti Park, Union Square, Foley Square, the Brooklyn Bridge, and other locations through the city. A retired Philadelphia police captain, Ray Lewis, protested while wearing his uniform. He was arrested and charged with civil disobedience. November 18 - During a protest at University of California, Davis, university police pepper sprayed a group of demonstrators as they were seated on a paved path in the campus quad. The video of UC Davis police officer Lt. John Pike pepper-spraying demonstrators spread around the world as a viral video and the photograph became an internet meme.O'Brien, C. (November 23, 2011). O'Brien: How one student's pepper spray photo became an Internet meme. San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved December 6, 2011. Officer Alex Lee also pepper-sprayed demonstrators at Pike's direction.

December 2011