This article has been edited to reflect that Zuccotti Park is a privately owned park. My apologies to the readers.
First let me state I am all for peaceful protests. In fact I am very outspoken about the need for people to take to the streets in protest. The problems I have are not with legitimate protests but with the lack of consideration by some protesters themselves.
Take the latest out of New York for example. Typically the unions and others are jumping up and trying to denounce the move by Mayor Bloomberg to oust the occupiers from Zuccotti Park at 1 am last night. NYC ousts occupiers.
Seemingly this was by design to break up the movement itself right?
Wrong.
Police told demonstrators that the 2-month-old camp must be temporarily emptied for cleaning, citing "health and fire safety" hazards, and that protesters could either leave on their own volition or stay and be arrested and stripped of their belongings.
That's a huge difference from trying to destroy a movement by peaceful demonstrators. Temporarily emptied to clean up this mess created by the protesters themselves who have not cleaned up after themselves. Real adult occupiers.
While Zuccotti Park is privately owned, it is still open to the public and is an example of just what is wrong with occupiers taking over parks in general.
So why did they have to resort to this action in the first place? Because of inconsideration by the protesters themselves. They had to clean the park. They owe it to all of the public who paid for that park.
While occupying parks in general these folks are also urinating and defecating on the public land creating an unsafe and unsanitary environment for the rest of us. They do not have the right to destroy what all of us have paid for, nor do they have the right to create an unsafe environment for those who don't want to occupy anything but just enjoy the use of the park that public dollars funded.
Garrett Perkins, 29, standing with two stuffed camping backpacks, said he had been sleeping in Zuccotti when hundreds of cops surrounded the tents. Most protesters did not move, he said, even after the police first announced that the park must be cleared.
Perkins travelled to Occupy Wall Street from Alaska with a large collection of cold weather gear. When the choice came down to losing his gear or walking, he opted to hold onto his belongings.
Shen Tong, a protester and former leader of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, tried to calm the growing tension between protesters and police. Addressing a crowd of about a hundred people two blocks from the park, he shouted, and his words were echoed by all those standing near.
"Brothers and sisters of the NYPD who used to think you're not part of this. Tonight, you're a part of this," he said. "You used to think you could just keep your head down and get along, or maybe get ahead, but tonight, we tell you, you are involved!"
We now have to import occupiers to act like there is a movement?
"This is a standoff," said James Rose, 39, an artist who had been occupying the park on and off for a month. Rose is a member of the Arts and Culture working group, and had been out for the evening at an Occupy Wall Street arts show offsite. He returned home to find himself locked out by the barricades.
Zuccotti Park is now your home Mr. Rose? It is open to the public for all the citizens to enjoy.
Sadly, these are just a few examples of what is wrong with the whole concept of occupiers of anything. I have the right to use parks that are open to the public without fear of repercussions from the so called occupiers. So does every other tax paying citizen.
Taxpaying citizens also have the right to expect a safe environment while doing so. Public urination, and defecation by human beings who know better, are not a sanitary safe environment for a park. Period.
Here is a suggestion for the occupiers. Go rent port a potties like everyone else is required to do when they hold outdoor events open to the public. Why should you be allowed a different standard? That would help with one problem. But of course when you continue wanting something for free the mere thought of actually having to pay for something must be offensive to you.
Furthermore, for the unions and other hacks who continue to try and create a situation where there is none, look no further than this statement:
"You are required to immediately remove all property, including tents, sleeping bags and tarps from Zuccotti Park. That means you must remove the property now," the notice read. "You will be allowed to return to the park in several hours, when this work is complete. If you decide to return, you will not be permitted to bring your tents, sleeping bags, tarps and similar materials with you."
No one has denied you your rights to a peaceful protest in any way. Unfortunately, I have to spend more of my tax money cleaning up the mess you adults are responsible for. And many wonder just why union membership is declining and has been declining for years. This is a good example of just why.
Going off half cocked with no substance is a clue union leadership of just what is wrong with you so called leaders.
No wonder the so called "Occupy" movements are in trouble with this asinine group joining in.
Most of us see you for what you really are. Adults who take no responsibility for their actions and don't plan to in the near future.
Thanks Mayor Bloomberg for trying to deal with this situation in a rational manner.
Your thoughts?
Listen daily from 7-8pm at The Ed Springston Show. Also visit Louisville Politics for more details and in depth coverage of local political and news issues.
First let me state I am all for peaceful protests. In fact I am very outspoken about the need for people to take to the streets in protest. The problems I have are not with legitimate protests but with the lack of consideration by some protesters themselves.
Take the latest out of New York for example. Typically the unions and others are jumping up and trying to denounce the move by Mayor Bloomberg to oust the occupiers from Zuccotti Park at 1 am last night. NYC ousts occupiers.
Seemingly this was by design to break up the movement itself right?
Wrong.
Police told demonstrators that the 2-month-old camp must be temporarily emptied for cleaning, citing "health and fire safety" hazards, and that protesters could either leave on their own volition or stay and be arrested and stripped of their belongings.
That's a huge difference from trying to destroy a movement by peaceful demonstrators. Temporarily emptied to clean up this mess created by the protesters themselves who have not cleaned up after themselves. Real adult occupiers.
While Zuccotti Park is privately owned, it is still open to the public and is an example of just what is wrong with occupiers taking over parks in general.
So why did they have to resort to this action in the first place? Because of inconsideration by the protesters themselves. They had to clean the park. They owe it to all of the public who paid for that park.
While occupying parks in general these folks are also urinating and defecating on the public land creating an unsafe and unsanitary environment for the rest of us. They do not have the right to destroy what all of us have paid for, nor do they have the right to create an unsafe environment for those who don't want to occupy anything but just enjoy the use of the park that public dollars funded.
Garrett Perkins, 29, standing with two stuffed camping backpacks, said he had been sleeping in Zuccotti when hundreds of cops surrounded the tents. Most protesters did not move, he said, even after the police first announced that the park must be cleared.
Perkins travelled to Occupy Wall Street from Alaska with a large collection of cold weather gear. When the choice came down to losing his gear or walking, he opted to hold onto his belongings.
Shen Tong, a protester and former leader of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, tried to calm the growing tension between protesters and police. Addressing a crowd of about a hundred people two blocks from the park, he shouted, and his words were echoed by all those standing near.
"Brothers and sisters of the NYPD who used to think you're not part of this. Tonight, you're a part of this," he said. "You used to think you could just keep your head down and get along, or maybe get ahead, but tonight, we tell you, you are involved!"
We now have to import occupiers to act like there is a movement?
"This is a standoff," said James Rose, 39, an artist who had been occupying the park on and off for a month. Rose is a member of the Arts and Culture working group, and had been out for the evening at an Occupy Wall Street arts show offsite. He returned home to find himself locked out by the barricades.
Zuccotti Park is now your home Mr. Rose? It is open to the public for all the citizens to enjoy.
Sadly, these are just a few examples of what is wrong with the whole concept of occupiers of anything. I have the right to use parks that are open to the public without fear of repercussions from the so called occupiers. So does every other tax paying citizen.
Taxpaying citizens also have the right to expect a safe environment while doing so. Public urination, and defecation by human beings who know better, are not a sanitary safe environment for a park. Period.
Here is a suggestion for the occupiers. Go rent port a potties like everyone else is required to do when they hold outdoor events open to the public. Why should you be allowed a different standard? That would help with one problem. But of course when you continue wanting something for free the mere thought of actually having to pay for something must be offensive to you.
Furthermore, for the unions and other hacks who continue to try and create a situation where there is none, look no further than this statement:
"You are required to immediately remove all property, including tents, sleeping bags and tarps from Zuccotti Park. That means you must remove the property now," the notice read. "You will be allowed to return to the park in several hours, when this work is complete. If you decide to return, you will not be permitted to bring your tents, sleeping bags, tarps and similar materials with you."
No one has denied you your rights to a peaceful protest in any way. Unfortunately, I have to spend more of my tax money cleaning up the mess you adults are responsible for. And many wonder just why union membership is declining and has been declining for years. This is a good example of just why.
Going off half cocked with no substance is a clue union leadership of just what is wrong with you so called leaders.
No wonder the so called "Occupy" movements are in trouble with this asinine group joining in.
Most of us see you for what you really are. Adults who take no responsibility for their actions and don't plan to in the near future.
Thanks Mayor Bloomberg for trying to deal with this situation in a rational manner.
Your thoughts?
Listen daily from 7-8pm at The Ed Springston Show. Also visit Louisville Politics for more details and in depth coverage of local political and news issues.
Sorry Ed, you need to rewrite this completely. Zuccotti Park is not a public owned park, there are no tax dollars involved in the maintenance of the park. Period. The porperty is controlled by Brookfield Properties. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuccotti_Park
ReplyDeleteYou are right about being privately owned. During editing I accidentally deleted that line and it is now corrected. Thanks for pointing that out.
ReplyDeleteWith that said though public dollars are most certainly involved even with Zuccotti as we now have paid police officers, as one example, costing money to ensure the safety of the occupiers and the interests of the property owners.
Thanks for writing Metro.
A few other parts you missed...........
ReplyDeleteThey owe it to all of the public who paid for that park. (no public money)
They do not have the right to destroy what all of us have paid for,("We" didn't pay for it)
occupy anything but just enjoy the use of the park that public dollars funded. (not funded with public money)
So does every other tax paying citizen. (no Tax Dollars)
Taxpaying citizens also have the right to expect (No Tax dollars)
tax money cleaning up the mess you adults are responsible (Not cleaned by NYC, but by Brookfield Properties)
The article has been edited as notd to allow that Zuccotti is privately owned but OPEN to the public. Open to the public does indeed force some requirements that must be adhered to.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, i edited to add parks in general, most of which IMO are publicly owned being used by occupiers, so yes our money is involved.
Zuccotti Park itself and public dollars? Most definitely when hundreds of police officers are sent there to protect the safety of all who use it even if it is privately owned.
While the cleanup may be paid for by Brookfield Properties, those police get paid with public tax dollars.
Thanks for writing.
Apparently the whole issue of these little parks around New York has to do with an agreement that allows property owners to do certain things so long as they maintain some green space that is open to the public - it's a partnership, in other words. So there is a public "investment" in that park.
ReplyDelete