May Day Occupy protesters: Are arrests and stinging gas sullying the message?

Who needs a May pole and baskets of flowers to celebrate May Day when you've got stinging gas and handcuffs? Occupy Wall Street demonstrators and labor and immigration activists gathered at organized events across the country Tuesday (May 1) to protest income inequality and "unjust" corporate practices, resulting in numerous protester arrests.

According to ABC News, stinging gas caused Oakland protesters to flee (it's unclear if police released the gas), with at least four people being taken into custody. At least six demonstrators were detained in New York City, and police arrested an unknown number of protesters in Philadelphia and at Los Angeles International Airport.

Protest organizers reportedly wanted to show the "1 percent" just what life without the "99 percent" would look like, so they encouraged workers and students to play hooky Tuesday as a show of solidarity.

Do you think the Occupy protesters' message is lost in all of the noise of the day's events?