Bloomberg Blasts OWS Protesters For Handling Of Alleged Rape

Ben Yakas

Published Nov 3, 2011

Modified Nov 3, 2011

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Mayor Bloomberg in happier times, at last year's Inner Circle Show

NYC Mayor's Office

Ben Yakas

Published Nov 3, 2011

Modified Nov 3, 2011

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Every day, Mayor Bloomberg seems to be getting angrier and angrier at Occupy Wall Street protesters, whether it's because they're ruining tourism, making a mess, or hurting families. Today, he chastised OWS for how they handled the situation with the kitchen worker who was arrested for sexual abuse in the Zuccotti Park tents yesterday. Bloomberg was furious about a report that demonstrators kicked the man out of the park instead of calling police: "If this is in fact happening—and it's very hard to get good information—it is despicable. I think it is outrageous and it really allows the criminal to strike again making all of us less safe."

26-year-old Tonye Iketubosin of Crown Heights allegedly raped an 18-year-old woman from Massachusetts early Saturday morning, and sexually assaulted another 18-year-old woman on October 25th at the park. According to Beau Sibbing, a Wisconsin resident who has been working in the kitchen at Zuccotti Park for the past three weeks, Iketubosin was banned from the park after word spread of the allegations; but he kept showing up, and on Tuesday night, "a whole bunch of people came and made him leave the park. Then the NYPD picked him up. I wasn't sure if it was for his own safety or if he was being arrested."

The mayor called the occupiers' version of vigilante justice "disturbing," and was asked if he was "very" concerned about the practice: "'Very' understates it. It is a very high priority. We have an obligation to protect everybody in the city." He added that recent developments have left Brookfield Properties, who owns the park, "very concerned" about what's happening there: "They are clearly worried about their liability and we are dealing with them all the time," he said.

Yesterday, after a group of lower Manhattan politicians petitioned him to crack down on quality-of-life infractions. Bloomberg told reporters that OWS was wearing out its welcome, and "no one should think that we won't take actions that we think are appropriate when we think they are appropriate."

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bloomberg

crimes

mayor bloomberg

occupy wall street

ows

Zuccotti Park