I realize that I’ve been ranting and raving about the the Occupy Wall Street movement, and I will continue to do so long as it’s relevant. But, it just seems that every other day, something enlightening or maddening occurs within its context. It’s kind of like a car fire to me, I just can’t seem to look away.
With that said, I would like to bring to you yet another injustice brought down upon the OWS protesters who have been going strong for two months. Last week, the protesters were handed an eviction notice by City Hall. That’s right, they were told to leave Zuccotti Park, the place where the mini-village of protesters has sprouted up, under the pretense of “park cleanup.” Because calling the protesters ‘trash’ like they want to would have been a bad PR move.
Depicted: Jobless OWS Protestor
But, this actually isn’t the meat of the issue. Why this ‘clean up’ is tantamount to an eviction for the protesters are a bunch of draconian new rules put in place, seemingly aimed directly at the Occupy Wall Street protesters. As the notice posted by Brookfield Properties (the ‘owner’ of the ‘public’ park) states, there is to be “no camping, no tents, no tarps, no sleeping bags, no lying on the ground or on benches, and no storage of personal property on the ground or walkways ‘which unreasonably interferes with the use of such areas by others.’”
The NYC City Hall is standing behind Brookfield Properties. This eviction could more or less spell doom for the movement, in its current form. City Hall had to send in NYPD forces to enforce the break up of the protesters. Prior to their eviction, the protesters had also begun their own clean up of the park in a gesture of goodwill, at one point even managing to get their hands on a power washer, but lacked the water to use it fully. There in lies the key political difference. Conservatives bring guns to protests, liberals bring power washers.
-Alex Perez
[...] I suggest you take in the sights and landmarks of your hometown. For instance, visit your local Occupy movement. I know many of the encampments have been torn down by local authorities, but in many cities there [...]