Mayor Bloomberg Drops By Occupy Wall Street
The Occupy Wall Street-affiliated "Millionaire's March" didn't stop by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's townhouse on the Upper East Side (or, for that matter, his massive Bermudan estate), but that's okay! Mayor Mike dropped by the permanent occupation at Zuccotti Park on Wednesday evening to say "hi" and join the drum circle.
Well, actually, he didn't join the drum circle. He did let the protesters know that Brookfield Properties—which owns Zuccotti Park—will be cleaning the park up on Friday (but not evicting the protesters). The real estate developers have been complaining to the city for weeks now, saying that "concerned citizens and office workers in the neighborhood" were reporting "lewdness, groping, drinking and drug use... unsanitary conditions and... offensive odors." (They're also worried about the lack of screening for the deliveries that are constantly arriving for the occupiers).
But despite being confronted with as close to a human personification of everything that they are protesting against, the demonstrators were apparently able to stop groping, drinking and being lewd when Mayor Mike stopped by. In fact, they were reportedly polite-ish ("Get this man a plate of food," one shouted, while others chanted in his direction), though they may have felt, as Democracy Now!'s Ryan Devereaux puts it, that "their concerns weren't adaquately communicated." That's okay! Mike himself said they could stay as long as they wanted, which should give them plenty of time for adequate communication.