Nothing Human Is Alien
18th November 2011, 20:59
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested Friday that unions took over the Occupy Wall Street protest yesterday.
A vast percentage of the people were union members protesting some private unions and then some municipal unions and they had, you know, organized signs and leadership and that sort of thing, Bloomberg said on WOR radio station Friday. So it really wasnt the protesters that have been in Zuccotti Park or that you see around the country.
Bloomberg added, It was just an opportunity for a bunch of unions to complain or to protest or whatever they want to do.
The mayor warned that some of those union members, especially the municipal union members should step back and realize that their salaries depend on the citys ability to attract companies, investors and people who pay taxes.
During Thursdays National Day of Action, in which demonstrations broke out in dozens of cities around the country, it was reported that union members joined in the action, including Service Employees International Union President Mary Kay Henry, who participated in the Occupy rally on Brooklyn Bridge.
Executive director of United NY Camille Rivera who was involved in coordinating Thursdays rallies pushed back on the mayors comments.
It wasnt all unions. Thats an inaccurate response. It was a coalition of communities, Rivera told POLITICO. The mayor should take a look at the all the videos and all the photos of the days events where the thousands of people were not just union members. It was people from across the city that came out in response, in outrage over whats happened over the course of the week.
Rivera also took issue with Bloombergs claim that the protests presented union groups an opportunity to complain.
Theres no such thing as complaining. Labor is part of the 99 percent who have been in a situation where for the last number of year their rights have been taken away, she said. Thats actually responding to an economic injustice.
Bloomberg, asked on the radio about the timing of Tuesdays crackdown in Zuccotti Park, where police officers cleared out Occupy Wall Streets home base and prohibited protesters from returning with tents, said he tried to execute the plan earlier, it wasnt clear whether the courts would have permitted it.
Courts want to be convinced that you are protecting peoples First Amendment rights, he said.
Bloomberg also suggested to the Occupiers that it was time to move on. There are problems in the country. The ways to fix those problems you can make yourself heard, which I think has been done. But now its time to get back and build our economy.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68687.html#ixzz1e5ooJp9h
A vast percentage of the people were union members protesting some private unions and then some municipal unions and they had, you know, organized signs and leadership and that sort of thing, Bloomberg said on WOR radio station Friday. So it really wasnt the protesters that have been in Zuccotti Park or that you see around the country.
Bloomberg added, It was just an opportunity for a bunch of unions to complain or to protest or whatever they want to do.
The mayor warned that some of those union members, especially the municipal union members should step back and realize that their salaries depend on the citys ability to attract companies, investors and people who pay taxes.
During Thursdays National Day of Action, in which demonstrations broke out in dozens of cities around the country, it was reported that union members joined in the action, including Service Employees International Union President Mary Kay Henry, who participated in the Occupy rally on Brooklyn Bridge.
Executive director of United NY Camille Rivera who was involved in coordinating Thursdays rallies pushed back on the mayors comments.
It wasnt all unions. Thats an inaccurate response. It was a coalition of communities, Rivera told POLITICO. The mayor should take a look at the all the videos and all the photos of the days events where the thousands of people were not just union members. It was people from across the city that came out in response, in outrage over whats happened over the course of the week.
Rivera also took issue with Bloombergs claim that the protests presented union groups an opportunity to complain.
Theres no such thing as complaining. Labor is part of the 99 percent who have been in a situation where for the last number of year their rights have been taken away, she said. Thats actually responding to an economic injustice.
Bloomberg, asked on the radio about the timing of Tuesdays crackdown in Zuccotti Park, where police officers cleared out Occupy Wall Streets home base and prohibited protesters from returning with tents, said he tried to execute the plan earlier, it wasnt clear whether the courts would have permitted it.
Courts want to be convinced that you are protecting peoples First Amendment rights, he said.
Bloomberg also suggested to the Occupiers that it was time to move on. There are problems in the country. The ways to fix those problems you can make yourself heard, which I think has been done. But now its time to get back and build our economy.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68687.html#ixzz1e5ooJp9h