New all weather tents at Zuccotti Park.
(Arun Venugopal/WNYC)
Protesters with Occupy Wall Street have begun erecting all-weather tents at their encampment in Zuccotti Park to get ready for winter.
Military grade tents have already been pitched and 27 more costing about $20,000 are on order, according to organizers. The new double-walled shelters come in 2 different sizes: 11x11 feet or 16x16 feet.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said even though he doesn't think the protesters should be putting down roots, they're not breaking the law by doing so.
"They're not in violation of any building code, as far we can tell — it is worrisome the density of the people in the park and we're keeping an eye on that," he said.
Brookfield Properties, which owns Zuccotti Park, does now allow tents or other camping equipment in the park. Bloomberg said, "So far they’re not complying with Brookfield’s regulations, but Brookfield has not asked us to help them enforce those regulations."
A spokesperson for the company said they have no comment on the new tents.
Protester Jose Whelan, has been volunteering in the first aid area of the park, where one heavy-duty tents is being used. He said occupiers will also soon receive basic winter survival training.
"We’re bringing professionals from Solo Outdoor Survival School and Wilderness First Aid School in New Hampshire to come down and run some trainings in the next couple of weeks," Whelan said.
He said the sessions will be ongoing throughout the winter. "So everybody can understand how to clothe yourself, the basic signs of hypothermia, so if somebody in your tent is starting to get these signs, you can make sure to get them to medical right away."
Kathleen Horan is a staff reporter for New York Public Radio, covering the criminal justice beat. She also reports the series In Harm’s Way, a multi-platform effort to profile the life of every child in New York City killed by gunfire.
Arun Venugopal is a reporter and the creator of Micropolis, WNYC’s multi-platform series examining race, sexuality, religion, street life and other issues that define New York City. He has been with the station since 2005, and has covered a wide range of stories, including the death of Sean Bell, the controversy over the Park 51 mosque and community center and Occupy Wall Street .
Comments [5]
Americans blame the federal government more for the nation's economic plight than they do the primary target of the Occupy Wall Street protests --- big financial institutions. If you don't know why people are protesting on wall street, this article gives a very good explanation on it.
http://explainlikeakid.blogspot.com/2011/10/why-people-are-protesting-on-wall.html
@Brandt-Yeah, ain't it cool?
(btw, nice work. What is it about the guy mask that is continually menacing?_
@Pumabydesign001 from NYC
It's not your park. It's privately owned by Brookfield Enterprises. So good to see you pay your taxes, by the way, but we'd really appreciate it if you take your self-righteous entitlement and gtfo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuccotti_Park
So instead of the squatters in Zuccotti Park molesting the federal government, they molest the homeless, poverty stricken and middle class.
Should I be surprised? No. This is what Communism looks like.
A word from a taxpaying New Yorker to the freeloaders in Zuccotti Park who not only don't pay rent, utilities, etc. Get the hell out of my park.
We are in the midst of the first ever GLOBAL protest against corporate greed and their molestation of our government. People around the world are standing together to raise their voice against the oppression of the 1% and their corporate welfare and lobbying which are eroding our economy and country from the inside out. See my artwork for the movement as well as resources and videos of the protests at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/09/occupywallstreet.html Get informed and get involved… all you have to do is raise your voice for change!
Leave a Comment
Register for your own account so you can vote on comments, save your favorites, and more. Learn more.
Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. We reserve the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting. By leaving a comment, you agree to New York Public Radio's Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use.