On Wednesday night, the Mayor informed protesters they must vacate Zucotti park on Friday morning at 7 a.m for “cleaning.” They will be allowed back into the park, but will not be able to use sleeping bags, tarps, nor will they be allowed to lay down, which may end the occupation.
The OWS protesters have been in the park since September 17th. They have a Sanitation Committee responsible for the park’s upkeep, and today they brought in power-washers and other equipment to clean the park themselves, perhaps not to Brookfield Property’s (the park owners) satisfaction.
Council Member Stephen Levin, along with member’s Lander, Mark-Viverito and Williams wrote a letter to the mayor asking him not to evict the protestors saying that, “traditions of free speech, public assembly, and public protest are a deep part of our American tradition, honored best of all in the civic spaces of New York City … we believe it would be a harmful disservice to these democratic traditions to evict them.” Read the full letter here.
This Saturday at 11am the movement is coming to Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza. Boro President Marty Markowitz told the Brooklyn Paper, “It was only a matter of time before the … rallies made their way to Brooklyn. There is no doubt that Americans — those in the ’99 percent’ — are hurting, and we can all agree that some of the issues being raised by these protests are concerns we can all rally around.”
Tonight we asked locals told Greenpointers tell us their reactions to Occupy Wall Street.
Watch our video of their responses here.
We would like to know your opinion, too. Please comment.