Here's video of Mayor Bloomberg visiting the Occupy Wall Street encampment at Zuccotti Park, where his appearance was greeted with a mixture of outright hostility and diplomatic handshakes. The Mayor's surprise appearance was brief, and you can understand why, as chants of "Billionaire Bloomberg Go to Hell!" and "You Are 1%" echo all around him. But one friendly demonstrator tells him, "We're going to provide extra security for you, sir." Bloomberg replies, "Thank you, we've got plenty of security."
Asked why he's there, Bloomberg says he wants to see what's going on and talk to some people, then tells the group around him, "People have a right to protest, and other people have a right to come through here as well. And we're going to try to balance people that own the property—Brookfield, they have some rights, too." Of course, Bloomberg knows all about Brookfield's so-called rights, as his longtime special lady friend, Diana Taylor, sits on Brookfield's board. He also likes to talk about free speech.
As the mayor is getting into his car, one demonstrator bids adieu by yelling, "Have a nice ride home, my brother! Sleep well! Sleep tight! Don't let the bedbugs bite!" The video ends with another protester wondering, "What was that about?"
The Mayor's office says it was "about" letting the Occupy Wall Street crowd know that parts of the park will be cleared in shifts so it can be cleaned. But the protesters are refusing to cooperate, and the stage is set for a showdown.
