The occupation at Zuccotti Park may be over, but wary city officials are bracing for trouble tomorrow when a mob of that could number in the “tens of thousands” is expected to answer Occupy Wall Street’s call to shut down the Financial District.
“Everything that we have seen and heard suggests that we may have tens of thousands of people tomorrow protesting.
The protesters are calling for a massive event aimed at disrupting major parts of the city,” Deputy Mayor
Wolfson and Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway said all city agencies are on notice and extra cops will be on hand for the massive demonstrations - which could disrupt the morning commute and be among the largest in city history.
Holloway conceded commutes may take longer than usual.
Organizers said they were energized by Mayor Bloomberg’s decision early to end the two-month-long camp-out at Zuccotti Park.
“We will shut down Wall Street,” a post on the movement’s
Facebook page said. “We will ring the People’s Bell, and initiate a street carnival in which we rebuild and celebrate the neighborhoods that the Wall Street economy has destroyed.”
The march on Wall Street is slated to start at 7 a.m.
Other events scheduled for the day include “Occupy the Subways” in all five boroughs at 3 p.m., a takeover of Foley Square at 5 p.m. and another march across the Brooklyn Bridge.
“I think we’re certainly going into this with our eyes wide open, but (the march is) to provoke ideas and discussion, not to provoke any violent reactions,”
Occupy Wall Street spokesman Ed Needham told Reuters. “I think it is very difficult to do a day of action and not expect some sort of reaction from the [authorities].”
The group promises a “a block party the 1 percent will never forget.”
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