Ousted At Occupy Wall Street

I wrote in the beginning of the week about what the end game was for the Occupy Wall Street Movement. That question was not necessarily answered, but many were.

The movement seemed to be in a holding pattern, as no real agenda had come to the surface. There were also rampant rumors of sex, drugs, and unsanitary conditions in the park. While the occupiers went about their daily days of protest, many wondered if Mayor Bloomberg would do anything at all to combat the growing frustrations of the antics taking place at Zuccotti Park.

Bloomberg boldly executed a raid of the "campsite" on Tuesday morning, which set off a tenuous day in lower Manhattan. The protesters kicked and screamed, but the site was vacated while a cleaning crew swept through to dissolve the filth that had overtaken the area. Mayor Bloomberg told occupier they could return with one small bag, and no more sleepovers in the park.

This issue has set off a debate about whether constitutional rights are being violated. It's a fair question, but I truly believe Mayor Bloomberg's hand was forced. I think some of the movement has its merits, and as I wrote, I respect the strong resolve of many of the protestors, who have been involved since the beginning.

The problem was the growth of the "occupation" came at the expense of many of the core values of the intent. Having not visited the site and having to go on the numerous reports I've read and twitter feeds I've followed, I can speculate that some of the wrong protesters slipped through the cracks.

Like most things, this thing started out as a genuine cause, and as its street credit grew, some of the occupiers came out looking for a party and the flavor of the week.

At this point, Occupy Wall Street has turned into Woodstock in the city.

The ironic part is that they are fighting back against the 1%, or the wealthy. In this case, the 1% of their "own" protesters are the ones they need to fighting against from stripping away any more of the little credibility it seems to have at this point.

New York City has answered the questions of how they would end up handing this, now it is time for Occupy Wall Street to make their next move.