Occupy protesters shut down K Street.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- An estimated 1,000 Occupy movement protesters shut down Washington's K Street Wednesday, mucking up traffic for blocks, police said.

Metro Police Cmdr. Steven Sund told Politico at least 10 people were arrested by early afternoon but the Washington publication said the police action and rain didn't deter the protesters, who chanted "hell no, we won't go" and pushed newsstand boxes into the streets to form a barrier.

Police eventually cleared the demonstrators and traffic began moving again.

The activists said they were fighting for the interests of the "99 percent" of Americans against the greed of corporate America, Politico said.

Protesters Wednesday targeted the headquarters of major corporations and financial institutions such as Verizon, General Electric, Capitol Tax Partners, the American Bankers Association and the financial lobbying firm Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford, Politico said.

San Francisco police said 70 campers and protesters were arrested when police dismantled the Occupy SF encampment at Justin Herman Plaza.

Police officers, deputies, firefighters and city crews raided the encampment at 1 a.m. Wednesday, giving protesters 5 minutes to clear out. Thirty protesters were arrested after they refused to leave and 40 were arrested when they blocked Market Street, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Police Chief Greg Suhr said police moved in because talks with the camp residents had broken down.

"Most of the people in this neighborhood are part of the 99 percent, and they needed some relief," Suhr told reporters. "So this part of the 99 percent removed that part of the 99 percent to give the other part of the 99 percent some relief."

A protester named Ryan told the Bay City News that police failed to give people enough time to collect personal items.