Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Wall Street Occupation Shifts From Parks To Sidewalks Near Stock Exchange
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 13, 2012
Modified Apr 13, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 13, 2012
Modified Apr 13, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
For the past four nights, protesters affiliated with Occupy Wall Street have camped out on sidewalks near the New York Stock Exchange, sleeping outside banks and handing out literature to financial district workers by day. Why hasn't the NYPD swept in and crushed this dangerous nonviolent political demonstration? It seems Bloomberg's army may be stymied (for now, at least) by a 2000 court ruling upholding protesters' right to sleep on the sidewalk for political purposes, provided they don't take up more than half the sidewalk.
Justin Wedes, a spokesperson for Occupy Wall Street, tells us, "We are bringing the truth about inequity in this country to the belly of the beast, so that the 1%—and the many 99%'ers—who live and work on Wall Street can see what Wall Street's agenda of greed and corruption has done to Main Street." Last night, according to a new @SleepOnWallSt Twitter feed, over 80 demonstrators spent the night on the sidewalk on Wall Street and Nassau Street. In a video interview, one demonstrator explained further:
What we're doing here is kind of a complete return to what we originally planned on doing [at Zuccotti Park]. Union Square was kind of a healing process because we were beaten up and sick of Wall Street. We're still sick of Wall Street. We can handle it in small doses, but now we're back on Wall Street. This time we're not committing any form of civil disobedience, we're in full compliance with the law, we're not disorderly in any way, we're just providing silent messages. And it's a really interesting phenomenon. We'll eventually spread out to all of Wall Street. I kind of think of it like we're a tumor and we're going to keep growing and growing, in a cancerous sense... Of course, capitalism's the real cancer.
As the "Sleep on Wall Street" cancer spreads to the surrounding area in the Spring weather, it will be interesting to see how Bloomberg and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly react. After all, the NYPD has no problem acting extra-judicially to stifle dissent and dealing with the fallout in court later. If they lose, the City can always just cut a check to settle any pesky lawsuits! But down in DC, Occupy protesters camping outside banks have already been dragged off in handcuffs for engaging in "sleepful protest."
Tagged
nypd
occupy wall street
sleepful protest
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Queens man found dead, police say, and injured woman is his mother, neighbors say
Police are investigating a related incident in which a 62-year-old woman was found injured beneath the Van Wyck Expressway.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 7:39 p.m. ET
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
News
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
Brooklyn school dean says MTA officers assaulted him over a $3 bus fare he says he paid
By
Carol Chen
National Grid customers in NYC will see higher gas bills this winter
By
Rosemary Misdary
Bruce Blakeman joins Gov. Hochul in support for expanding NY rape law
By
Jon Campbell
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .