More than 70 people were arrested when Occupy protesters blocked intersections and snarled traffic in the heart of the nation’s lobbying industry in Washington, D.C. Demonstrators formed human chains across streets and protested in front of a lobbying firm founded by a former chief of staff in the Clinton administration. Protesters have swarmed Capitol Hill this week in an action to demand jobs and a restructuring of the nation’s economic system.

Protester 1: “I think that they are demonstrating democracy in action. This is democracy.”

Protester 2: “I think they’re heroes. I think their rights are being squashed. Obviously, they’re in the middle of the road, given. But that being said, this is a true American protest. These people are heroes. They’re standing up for American rights. They’re standing up. They’re all types of people. We have veterans in there. We have all types of races, all types of religions.”