Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

Occupy Wall Street protesters stand on barricades they took down and piled inside Zuccotti Park in the Manhattan borough of New York, Jan. 1.

Just as a record crowd ushered in the new year in New York's Times Square, Occupy Wall Street protesters returned to Zuccotti Park by the hundreds to reclaim the park and the area around it. 

After taking down metal barricades, piling them up and scuffling with police, protesters were soon kicked out of the park. Smaller groups splintered and started marching through the streets after being shoed from lower Manhattan. Police used pepper spray on protesters and a number of them were arrested.

Into the wee hours of the morning, groups of protesters marched north. Some hurled orange traffic barrels into the street, blocking traffic, though most of the demonstrations were peaceful. A seemingly high ratio of police to protesters monitored the groups' movement, keeping them on sidewalks and from obstructing traffic.

Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

An Occupy Wall Street protester hurls barrels into the middle of Broadway near Zuccotti Park in the Manhattan borough of New York, Jan. 1.

Scores of officers on foot, on scooters and in sundry vehicles closed streets to keep up with the group as traffic snarled.

There was a bizarre contrast between protesters and revelers out in force for New Years' celebrations. The group marched through Manhattan's West Village, an upscale neighborhood, loaded with as many drinking establishments as quiet residential streets.

By 3:00am, demonstrators had zig-zagged their way to the East Village.

Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

Police monitor a group of Occupy Wall Street protesters that marched to the West Village after being barred from Zuccotti Park in the Manhattan borough of New York on Jan. 1.

Polly Smith, 30, of Brooklyn, was celebrating New Years with friends and witnessed the roving band of police and protesters as they marched east towards 2nd Ave. 

"I was really surprised at the volume of the police response for what seemed like a relatively small organized protest. It was surprising to see [the protest] in that neighborhood. You would expect to see that in Times Square or downtown, but not right in the heart of a more low-key neighborhood."

For more from AP, read here.

Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

Police push back Occupy Wall Street protesters after they were cleared from Zuccotti Park in the Manhattan borough of New York, Jan. 1.

Spencer Platt / Getty Images

An Occupy Wall Street protester rests in Zuccotti Park a day after it was cleared of the Occupy Wall Street camp in an early morning police raid on November 16, 2011 in New York city. Hundreds of protesters, who rallied against economic inequality in America, have slept in tents and under tarps since Sept. 17 in Zuccotti Park. A New York judge ruled Tuesday that the protesters could return to Zuccotti Park but couldn't set up tents or sleep in the park. Zuccotti Park became the epicenter of the global Occupy Wall Street movement.

Spencer Platt / Getty Images

People walk by Zuccotti Park a day after it was cleared of Occupy Wall Street protesters in an early morning police raid on November 16, in New York city.

Seth Wenig / AP

A private security guard talks with an Occupy Wall Street protester laying on the ground in Zuccotti Park in New York, on Wednesday, Nov. 16. The Occupy Wall Street encampment is gone, but the movement lives on. What nobody knows is just how long it can survive without a place to call home after police hauled away demonstators in a late night raid.

Allison Joyce / Getty Images

Occupy Wall Street protesters sleep on the floor at Judson Church on November 16, 2011 in New York City. Since camping is now banned in Zuccotti park, protesters had to seek out alternate locations.

While the ranks of the Occupy Wall Street protesters have thinned since the raid early Tuesday morning the remaining protesters show resolve: 'You can't evict an idea whose time has come'. Click here for the full story.

 See more images from the Occupy Wall Street movement here.

Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

People crowd on a street in downtown New York City early on Nov. 15, after the police cleared Zuccotti Park and protesters were pushed into the side streets.

Msnbc.com's John Makely and Jonathan Woods have been photographing the scenes around Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan since the early hours of Tuesday morning. They gave a few impressions of what they have seen.

Jonathan Woods writes:

I got here around 3 a.m. ET and I really didn’t know what to expect. The first thing I saw when I walked onto Worth Street was a pile of dozens of bags of trash that the protesters had thrown into the street.

As I walked closer to Zuccotti Park the police presence became overwhelming. The streets surrounding the park were heavily barricaded.

Scuffles between police and protesters were few and far between -- most of those that I did see involved people refusing to get back on the sidewalk.

Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

Police and protesters near Zuccotti Park on Nov. 15.

As I write it's 7.30 a.m. and most people are standing around waiting for somethign to happen. Protesters and press are thinly lining the sidewalks. It's turned into a waiting game.

Looking at Zuccotti Park, with the exception of the police and cleaning crews, if you hadn’t been aware of what transpired here since September 17, you would have no idea there had been a camp there until a few hours ago. It's alarmingly clean, it's spotless.

As New Yorkers made their morning commutes, some were surprised to see the park clear of the protesters. One woman passing by was rejoicing at how clean it was. She kept exclaiming, "It’s beautiful, the park is beautiful!" as she went.

John Makely / msnbc.com

A heavy police presence in lower Manhattan on Nov. 15.

On the opposite side of Zuccotti park, the scene was quite different.

John Makely writes:

Broadway and Pine Street were flooded with protesters who had either fled Zuccotti Park when the police began clearing it or arrived afterwards and could get no closer.  Protesters were standing on NYPD vehicles and sitting in the middle of the intersection.

While the scene wasn't tense there was an expectation that something would happen. Reinforcements beefed up the NYPD ranks and they warned those within earshot to clear out. Violent pushing, shoving and some punching later and the protesters were back on the sidewalk. Then a projectile was thrown from the crowd toward the police and about 30 seconds later there was a surge into the sidewalk by about 20 officers to attempt to catch whoever had thrown the object.

Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

Police clear protesters from the area around Zuccotti Park on Nov. 15.

Tense expressions on the NYPD and vocal rants from the protesters, some taunting, "The more you attack us the stronger we get", some trying to find common ground. One officer yelled back "Shut your mouth!"

Police opened up a sidewalk leading to Zuccotti Park, which now stands freshly washed, with new barricades and a lot more officers.

John Makely / msnbc.com

NYPD officers surround Zuccotti park after cleaning crews finished removing tents and power-washing the plaza.

Jonathan D. Woods / msnbc.com

Members of the press, including John Makely of msnbc.com, center, work alongside tired protesters near Zuccotti Park early on Nov. 15.

Read our latest news story on the clearance of Zuccotti Park and see more coverage of the Occupy Wall Street movement on PhotoBlog.

Mary Altaffer / AP

An Occupy Wall Street protester is arrested by police near the encampment at Zuccotti Park in New York, early Tuesday, Nov. 15.

Don Emmert / AFP - Getty Images

A New York City police officer scuffles with Occupy Wall Street protesters after they were evicted from Zuccotti Park on Nov. 15.

Don Emmert / AFP - Getty Images

A New York City police officer scuffles with Occupy Wall Street protesters after they were evicted from Zuccotti Park on Nov. 15.

Don Emmert / AFP - Getty Images

A New York City police officer scuffles with Occupy Wall Street protesters after they were evicted from Zuccotti Park on Nov. 15.

John Minchillo / AP

An Occupy Wall Street protester is detained by police officers after being ordered to leave Zuccotti Park early on Nov. 15.

John Minchillo / AP

People are taken into custody after police ordered Occupy Wall Street protesters to leave Zuccotti Park on Nov. 15.

Miranda Leitsinger of msnbc.com reports from the scene:

Ryan Peters, 29, from Chicago, who took leave of absence from the advertising agency where he works to tour different Occupy protests, cried as he told msnbc.com that about 30 people had chained themselves up inside the Occupy protest’s kitchen area.

"People want to fight for something that's really important," he said.  "It makes me cry every time I think of them (the people in the kitchen) getting locked down in the park … these guys are patriots."

There were unconfirmed reports that tear gas or some other kind of irritant spray had been used by police. Peters was unable to confirm that, but said at one point during the night his eyes had begun to sting.

Another protester, Nan Terrie, an 18-year-old law student, told msnbc.com that a number of people had also chained themselves up in the women’s tents.

"This is an illegal eviction (that) they are trying to do to us," she said. Read the full story.

See more coverage of the Occupy Wall Street movement on PhotoBlog.

Mary Altaffer / AP

A demonstrator yells at police officers as they order Occupy Wall Street protesters to leave Zuccotti Park, their longtime encampment in New York, early Tuesday, Nov. 15.

Lucas Jackson / Reuters

Members of the Occupy Wall Street movement drag their belongings down the street after being removed from Zuccotti Park on Nov. 15.

Justin Lane / EPA

Sanitation workers begin clearing tents and debris after the New York City police department cleared Zuccotti Park on Nov. 15.

Mary Altaffer / AP

An Occupy Wall Street protester yells out at police after being ordered to leave Zuccotti Park, early Tuesday, Nov. 15.

Mary Altaffer / AP

Occupy Wall Street protesters convene near Zuccotti Park after being vacated by police early Tuesday, Nov. 15.

NBC, msnbc.com and news services report from NEW YORK: 

Zuccotti Park was cleared in less than three hours after hundreds of police officers conducted a surprise sweep of the Occupy Wall Street headquarters early Tuesday.

New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said there were about 70 arrests in the park, while NBC New York's Jonathan Dienst, who is at the scene, reported that he had counted 40 arrests along Broadway. Continue reading.

See more coverage of the Occupy Wall Street movement on PhotoBlog.

Karly Domb Sadof / AP

In this image made using a cell phone, Occupy Wall Street protesters are ordered to leave Zuccotti Park, their longtime encampment in New York, early Tuesday, Nov. 15. At about 1 a.m. Tuesday, police handed out notices from the park's owner, Brookfield Office Properties, and the city saying that the park had to be cleared because it had become unsanitary and hazardous. Protesters were told they could return, but without sleeping bags, tarps or tents.

Karly Domb Sadof / AP

Police gather to order Occupy Wall Street protesters to leave Zuccotti Park early Tuesday, Nov. 15.

Karly Domb Sadof / AP

Police officers order Occupy Wall Street protesters to leave Zuccotti Park early Tuesday, Nov. 15.

NBC, msnbc.com and news services report from NEW YORK:

Hundreds of police officers, some in riot gear, descended on Zuccotti Park after midnight Tuesday in a surprise sweep of the Occupy Wall Street headquarters.

NBC New York's Jonathan Dienst, who is at the scene, reported that he had counted 40 arrests.

A few protesters, who appeared to resist and shove at officers, were then thrown to ground and placed in handcuffs, he reported. Continue reading.

See more coverage of the Occupy Wall Street movement on PhotoBlog.

I'm guessing these rockers aren't part of the 99 percent, but it's cool to see them out there reliving the 60s,

Related: NYT: At Zuccotti Park, a Sound of the ’60s

Justin Lane / EPA

British singer-songwriter Graham Nash (L) and US singer-songwriter David Crosby (R) perform a small concert in Zuccotti Park at the Occupy Wall Street encampment in New York, New York, USA, November 8. Nash and Crosby are among a number of artists who have visited and performed at the park in recent weeks.