NEW YORK – A day after police broke up a rally at Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park and arrested dozens, Occupy Wall Street protesters said Sunday that their movement for economic justice would pick up momentum with the spring.

Activists listed issues including student debt, the environment and the November elections as priorities going forward. But some observers wondered whether a movement so diffuse could accomplish anything.

“I’m really grateful to be part of a generation that wants change, ’cause we should all want change,” said Jennifer Campbell, a graduate student in documentary filmmaking at Hofstra University. “But I’m not sure what that change is, or if they know what that change is.”

The crackdown at Zuccotti happened late Saturday after hundreds of activists had gathered to mark the six-month birthday of the movement.

“There was a lot of silliness and just kind of singing and dancing and really very jovial,” said Chris Casuccio, who works for a nonprofit organization.

But Detective Brian Sessa of the NYPD said protesters had started breaking park rules against setting up tents and tarps.

Police said 73 people were detained. It was unclear how many were still in custody Sunday.

Occupy activists said the officers moved in with little warning and beat some protesters. Police said Sunday they had no information about any protesters being injured.

As cleaning crews used hoses to erase all signs of the clash on Sunday, Occupy activists offered differing perspectives on where the movement is headed.

“We’re going to keep going,” said Christopher Guerra, who spent many nights at Zuccotti. He added, “It’s going to get interesting during the election cycle. We’re going to be more of a presence in the political world.”

According to Mother Jones magazine, 10 candidates for the U.S. House and Senate have made Occupy part of their campaigns. They include Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren and Hakeem Jeffries, who is running for Congress in Brooklyn.

Harlem resident Kanene Holder said the movement is broader than any one issue. “We cannot homogenize this movement into one streamlined vision,” she said.