Before most people had even gotten out of bed this morning, hundreds of protesters and striking workers gathered outside McDonald’s in Times Square. The crowds gathered in response to a call for a national day of action to pressure Congress into approving a minimum wage hike to fifteen dollars per hour. There has not been an increase in the minimum wage since 2009 in the United States.

New York City Police arrested more than a dozen protesters for participating in a “sit-in” at Times Square.

A few hours later, another group of protesters marched through midtown to McDonald’s on 8th Ave and were greeted by more than 40 New York City police officers. In an attempt to tame the crowds, New York City police assembled a “freedom cage” to contain protesters and allow them to exercise their freedom of speech in a designated area.

Once in the cage, a small group of protesters broke away and sat in the middle of the street chanting “Stand Up Fight Back” to the large crowd of people that had formed.

The group that broke away was promptly arrested and the police dispersed the crowd.

Click here to see a full photo set of today’s events.