Poor sanitation, rising crime at Wall St protests are testing patience in cities

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Poor sanitation, rising crime at Wall St protests are testing patience in cities

across US

By Meghan Barr, The Associated Press | The Canadian Press – 8 hours ago

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Without running water or working toilets, the crowded anti-Wall

Street encampments across the country are not the most pleasant-smelling places

to live. Nor are they quiet, with drumming and chanting echoing through the air

at all hours of the night.

That's why police and neighbours in some cities are starting to lose patience

with the protesters, who are preparing to settle in for the winter months.

In Oakland, California, police in riot gear fired tear gas and bean bags before

daybreak Tuesday to disperse about 170 protesters who had been camping in front

of City Hall for the past two weeks, and 75 people were arrested.

The mayor of Providence, Island, is threatening to go to court within

days to evict demonstrators from a park.

And businesses and residents near New York's Zuccotti Park, the unofficial

headquarters of the movement that began in mid-September, are demanding

something be done to discourage the hundreds of protesters from urinating in the

street and making noise at all hours.

" A lot of tourists coming down from hotels are so disgusted and disappointed

when they see this, " said Stacey Tzortzatos, manager of a sandwich shop near

Zuccotti Park. " I hope for the sake of the city the mayor does close this down. "

She complained that the protesters who come in by the dozen to use her bathroom

dislodged a sink and caused a flood, and that police barricades are preventing

her normal lunch crowd from stopping by.

In Philadelphia, city officials have been waiting almost two weeks for Occupy

Philly to respond to a letter containing a list of health and safety concerns.

City Managing Director Negrin said officials can't wait much longer to

address hazards such as smoking in tightly packed tents, camp layouts that

hinder emergency access, and exposure to human waste.

" They just can't ignore us indefinitely, " Negrin said Tuesday. " Every day that

they haven't addressed these public safety concerns simply increases the risk. "

, a protester in Boston, said the troublemakers are the

minority.

" We have a policy here: no drugs, no alcohol, " he said. " Us occupiers really try

to stick true to that. Other people who move in, who maybe have an alcohol

problem or a drug problem, you know, we're not fully equipped to handle things

like that. "

City officials in Oakland had initially been supportive of the protesters, with

Mayor Quan saying that sometimes " democracy is messy. " But tensions reached

a boiling point after a sexual assault, a severe beating and a fire were

reported and paramedics were denied access to the camp, according to city

officials. They also cited complaints about threatening behaviour and concerns

about rats, fire hazards and public urination.

When police moved in, they were pelted with rocks, bottles and utensils from

people in the camp's kitchen area, but no injuries were reported. Protesters

were taken away in plastic handcuffs, most of them arrested on suspicion of

illegal lodging.

Protesters disputed the city's claims about conditions at the camp.

, a college student from Oakland, said that volunteers collected

garbage and recycling every six hours, that water was boiled before being used

to wash dishes, and that rats had infested the park long before the camp went

up.

" It was very neat. It was very organized, " said.

In New York, the neighbourhood board voted Tuesday night to pass a resolution

that proposed off-site portable bathrooms funded by local donors, said

Menin, head of the board. The resolution also requested that loud noises, like

the blast of air horns and group chanting, be limited to two hours during the

day.

" Drumming has been going on late at night, " she said.

The park's owner, Brookfield Office Properties, tried to push the protesters out

two weeks ago to clean it but backed off at the last minute after a public

outcry.

Menin said the neighbourhood does not believe the protesters should be kicked

out. " We do not want the city to use force in any way, " she said. " And we think

it's possible to address quality-of-life issues. "

In Minneapolis, Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff said some constituents

who work downtown are getting a little tired of the piles of belongings

cluttering the plaza, while others are worried about escalating costs. The

sheriff's department has already spent more than $200,000, most of that in

overtime. About 100 to 150 demonstrators crowd the plaza during the day.

" I think most people I talk to are either supportive or understanding of

people's right to say what they want and hold a protest or a rally, but when you

start looking at the costs and how this is stringing out, it is wearing on some

people's patience, " said. " At first it looked like they were having a

rally or trying to make a statement, but now it just looks like a game to them.

Most people don't support that. "

Fariyal Lakhani, owner of a kiosk next to an Atlanta park where a few dozen

protesters have camped out, said people aren't buying candy bars and sodas, or

they want things for free or at a steep discount.

" We're very upset, " Lakhani said. " There's no business. Too much argument. "

A 7-Eleven one block from the protests in Portland, Oregon, reported a

higher-than-normal $6,000 in shoplifting since the protest began Oct. 6. The

store has added a security guard.

In Providence, Public Safety Commissioner Pare initially said he would

give the activists two or three days to remain in Burnside Park without a

permit. But Monday night marked the 10th night of the encampment, now consisting

of more than 100 tents. City officials said the grass is getting damaged, and

they want to close the restrooms and prepare the park for winter.

In Washington, protesters in McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza appear to be

getting along with the police and the neighbours.

One activist, Wes Kirkpatrick, said he believes the demonstration in McPherson

Square is benefiting from its location just blocks from the White House, and he

does not expect the federal government to crack down. " It would be hypocritical

for Obama to do anything because he legitimized our grievances publicly, " he

said.

McPherson Square is surrounded by banks, restaurants, law firms and other

businesses. Ayanna Brown, general manager of the popular restaurant Georgia

Brown's, said the protesters don't even come in and ask to use the restroom. And

Segui, who owns a hair salon at McPherson Square, said his business

hasn't suffered.

" As far as protesting, that's the way to do it. They're very clean, " Segui said.

" Politically, it's a different story, but we don't need to go there. "

___

Associated Press Writers Verena Dobnik and Deepti Hajela in New York; Amy

Forliti in Minneapolis; Ben Nuckols in Washington; Jay in Boston; Marcus

Wohlsen in Oakland, California; Harry R. Weber in Atlanta; Niedowski in

Providence, Island.; Nigel Duara in Portland, Oregon; and Kathy Matheson

in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

[Guest guest]

Now we have an idea of what these protestors are like. Maybe if they want the

amenities of rich people, they should act like rich people.

Administrator

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23558327.html

Poor sanitation, rising crime at Wall St protests are testing patience in cities

across US