What about the businesses around Zucotti Park and other protest hot-spots? Is it fair that for every day the OWS protestors were living in their bohemian utopia, the local small businesses were getting slammed? They block traffic, harass customers, cause vandalism, and etc. I am all for the right to peacefully assemble and have your voice heard, but the goal of the OWS protestors is to DISRUPT HARD WORKING AMERICAN'S ABILITY TO EARN A LIVING. And that is NOT cool with me.

 

That you are right about. And the organization should address those issues! But at the same time I wonder just how much of this is true. Seams like most of the articles i read have mix messages about the small business surrounding the park. Some are saying that the reporters and tourist and onlookers make up for the lost business from the locals. Some say it is the unnecessary barricades that is the problem and some say the protesters use their facilities and sometime vandalizing them. The people living around the area complains about drums being played at until 11:30 PM. There is no doubt that there are/will be some bad batches in the group but closing down the protest based on those people is ridiculous.

IMO that's like shutting down a rave or concert because some of the attendees are taking drug or starting fights or vandalizing.

 

Tark, use your melon, that is a silly comparison. At a rave or concert, they are not disrupting any businesses, and are not beating drums 24/7 for a month keeping people from sleeping.

 

:tark:

 

The residents are complaining that the drums are untill 11:30

And i don't know about where you live but concerts and festivals disrupts a lot of residents in this city. The disrupting of businesses are not very complained about.

 

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/we...xrs=share_copy

don't know how true this is bust just watch. some very funny stuff going on if its true.

 

because people have permits to hold those concerts or festivals? and they don't last for months on end.

 

still... the problem is the same. shutting down a festival on ground of it bringing out the "bad" in some people is the same principal. The authorities are not shutting these guys down because they a couple of people are complaining. they are shutting them down because they are gaining more media exposure, because they could potentially be a problem.

It is important to let these "mostly non violent" protest continue. Not because i believe in the WTF they are asking but because giving the right to the gov to shut them down on ridiculous claims will give the gov the right to shut down any future protest... whether it would be warranted or not.

 

i bet if there were shootings, rapes and people shitting in the street at a weekend festival it'd be shut down.

 

Man I've been to so many festivals and a couple of raves that had all this things happening. maybe not shitting on the streets but everything else definitively. Shootings and raping happen in clubs.