Bloomberg kicking OWS out of Zuccotti Park on Friday for cleaning

Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited the site of the ongoing "Occupy Wall Street" demonstration in Lower Manhattan Monday and informed protesters that the private park where they are staying will be cleaned on Friday.


For more than four weeks, protesters have stayed in Zuccotti Park and denounced what they call big business' control over lawmakers and the country's economic inequality.

Area business owners and residents have complained about unsanitary conditions in the greenspace.

In a statement, Deputy Mayor for Operations Cas Holloway said the cleaning will be done in stages and that demonstrators can return to the cleaned areas, so long as they follow rules set by Brookfield Properties, the owner of Zuccotti Park.


“The mayor is a strong believer in the First Amendment and believes that the protesters have a right to continue to protest. At the same time, the last three weeks have created unsanitary conditions and considerable wear and tear on the park," Holloway said in the statement. "This situation is not in the best interests of the protesters, residents or the City."

The mayor previously said that the demonstration can continue, as long as protesters follow city rules.

Skeptical demonstrators told NY1 Wednesday night they feared the clean-up will be the first step in their removal.

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