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Tents Sprout Up In Zuccotti Park In Defiance Of New Rules
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 24, 2011
Modified Oct 24, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 24, 2011
Modified Oct 24, 2011
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During the first weekend of Occupy Wall Street last month, we saw very few tents in Zuccotti Park, and in fact a spokesperson for Occupy Wall Street told us that the NYPD would direct them to remove any tents or tarps they put up. It seems that this is no longer the case. As the weather gets colder more protesters find the need to protect themselves from the elements, Zuccotti Park is now full of tents, and the NYPD, taking its cue from Brookfield Properties, is not forcing protesters to remove them.
A Wall Street Journal article on the subject is headlined "Against Rules, Tents Arise At Protest." This is somewhat misleading, as many activities that the protesters engage in (smoking, sleeping, etc.) are prohibited by the park's new rules, but have been tolerated by Brookfield. "That is none of our concern," a police source tells the WSJ, referring to the tents. "They have chosen not to enforce it. When I say enforce it, they haven't asked us."
Mayor Bloomberg even singled out "tents" as not being protected speech, but Brookfield has ignored this and has refused to threaten the protesters with eviction since backing down from cleaning the park on October 14.
The Post's editorial board ignores all of this and tells the mayor that it's "time to shut it down," as if he could. Calling the protesters at Zuccotti Park a "rodent infestation," the paper points to last week's Community Board 1 meeting of the Quality of Life committee as reason enough to kick the demonstrators out of the park. "Small businesses and other job creators…are being hurt" by the barricades, they write, and the "They're defecating on our doorsteps" soundbyte from CB1 member Catherine Huges wraps the Post's argument up in a bow. But were they at the same meeting as we were?
It is true that around 10 citizens spoke out against Occupy Wall Street, but they were vastly outnumbered by supporters. Hughs said her peace at the outset of the meeting, then left, ceding the floor to her peers, who were overwhelmingly supportive of the movement. One even proposed a motion to "honor the protests."
Maybe Mayor Bloomberg is in fact "Waking Up," but not as the Post would like them to. Speaking to reporters in Jerusalem for the dedication of a medical center in his father's name, Bloomberg backtracked from comments he made Saturday about "enforcing" more rules around the park. "No, there's nothing," he said in reference to a "crackdown." "We just want to make sure that people have the right to protest."
Tagged
cb1
community board 1
financial district
lower manhattan
mayor bloomberg
new york post
occupy wall street
protests
Zuccotti Park
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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