Bloomberg to Occupiers: We Have to Clean This Park

Michael Bloomberg made a surprise visit to Zuccotti Park yesterday to warn Occupy Wall Street protesters that power washers are coming tomorrow to clean up the place. “The last three weeks have created unsanitary conditions and considerable wear and tear on the park,” Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway tells the New York Daily News. “The cleaning will be done in stages, and the protesters will be able to return to the areas that have been cleaned."

Some protesters greeted Bloomberg with boos and chants of “You are the 1%!” but others said they respected him for coming, and a spokesman for the movement said it would welcome the cleanup crew. The cleaning comes at the behest of Brookfield Properties, the owners of Zuccotti Park, which is none too happy about their tenants. The city released a letter from the group accusing the protesters of “lewdness, groping, drinking, and drug use” and asking the NYPD to clear it for cleaning. (More Zuccotti Park stories.)