Zuccotti Park Ouster: Thank You Mike Bloomberg!

By forcefully ejecting Zuccotti campers the mayor reminded the entire country –and the world– about the core reasons for the campaign. Which is, to highlight gross and intolerable levels of income and wealth inequality in the United States and the fact that Wall Street speculators who sell toxic financial products have been responsible for all the recent global economic collapses.

[Black Star News Editorial]

By ejecting demonstrators from Zuccotti Park, New York’s multi-billionaire one-percenter mayor Michael Bloomberg has done a huge favor for the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement.

While Republicans are trying to divert the national conversation to the federal deficit, in order to avoid discussing income inequality, corporate corruption and the need to create jobs to tackle the 9% unemployment, Mayor Bloomberg has thrown a gift to the OWS movement with his Mubarak-like attack on the camp on lower Manhattan.

Bloomberg has shifted the national debate focus back to income and wealth inequality. He also showed his authoritarianism. Bloomberg’s  police forces, commanded by Commissioner Ray Kelly, even blocked journalists from clear access to the park once the raids started and as many as 25 were reported arrested. Yesterday, more than 200 people were arrested, including a Citycouncil-member and union leaders.

The only difference between the Bloomberg approach and Hosni Mubarak’s in Egypt was that the New York Police, unlike its Egyptian counterpart, did not charge into the demonstrators with horses. There was national support for OWS yesterday with solidarity protests in several cities, including Los Angeles–all thanks to Bloomberg.

For the last several weeks, people had started questioning OWS’s purpose: “Well what are their demands? Who are their leaders?” There was a sense by some observers that the movement may be losing momentum and that as it got colder the number of people camped at Zuccotti would dwindle.

That may have partly motivated Mayor Bloomberg to strike. The New York Police Department’s dirty tricks department had for weeks been infiltrating Zuccotti with trouble makers, including mentally disturbed individuals, to help instigate an incident that would justify armed intervention.

Maybe a second motive for the operation is that Mayor Bloomberg still harbors national political ambitions. After all, his chief advisor, the man involved in the planning for the Zuccotti ejection, is Howard Wolfson. He was a top Hillary Clinton aide when she ran for president.

Mayor Bloomberg has watched as Republican presidential candidates collapse like dominos. Maybe he’s still tempted to throw his hat into the ring as an independent candidate. It may be very late in the campaign; but Mayor Bloomberg has almost $20 billion parked somewhere.

Bloomberg sees the candidates: Herman “I never groped” Cain; Newt “I wasn’t paid directly” Gingrich; Mitt “I’ll say anything to win” Romney; Rick “what’s my last name?” Perry, and; Michelle “tax the hood” Bachman. Bloomberg may think if these are the choices — what do I have to lose?

Bloomberg may think routing OWS beefs up his “law-and-order” and “tough-against-the-liberals” credentials for a possible national run.

In the meantime, as evidenced by the massive turnout by demonstrators on Wall Street yesterday and the march across the Brooklyn Bridge, it’s clear that Occupy Wall Street’s concerns are not merely confined to those individuals sleeping at Zuccotti park.

By forcefully ejecting Zuccotti campers the mayor reminded the entire country –and the world– about the core reasons for the campaign. Which is, to highlight gross and intolerable levels of income and wealth inequality in the United States and the fact that Wall Street speculators who sell toxic financial products have been responsible for all the recent global economic collapses.

“Speaking Truth To Empower.”



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