Cleanup of the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ Movement
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger
Photos: AP and Reuters
The movement that took hold of the world from the cement jungle of Wall Street triggering movements all over the globe, ‘Occupy Wall Street’, is now being told they cannot return to Zuccotti Park with their tents and generators.
Due to the continued health and fire hazard threats, the mayor gave orders to the New York Police to clear the park around 1:00 A.M. on Tuesday. That included protestors and all their material belongings.
Police with riot gear were met with much resistance and ended up evicting hundreds of protestors while arresting a good many in the process.
The eviction was well thought out and a direct result of continuing concern about public health and safety and the impact of the protests on nearby businesses as well as rights of others to use the park. Mayor Bloomberg is not against this freedom of expression but park conditions were becoming intolerable.
Although the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement is peacefully protesting for their cause, the situation turned more forceful as protestors built barricades to keep the police away and police became more aggressive and were even seen throwing a protestor over a fence.
Within 3 1/2 hours, the park was cleared out and garbage collection was underway and pressure washing sidewalks had begun. As the debris was tossed and the park began looking like a park again, you could hear the chanting of “We are unstoppable, another world is possible”. “This is what democracy looks like.”
Bloomberg is not opposed to the protest, however, the demonstrators must follow the park rules if they wish to use it for protest. The tents were a symbol that the movement will not easily give up and they are there for the long haul. Most importantly, they hope to shut down Wall Street on Thursday and mark this the two-month anniversary of the movement.
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