Mayor Michael Bloomberg Visits Occupy Wall Street At Zuccotti Park (VIDEO)

Mayor Michael Bloomberg stopped by Zuccotti Park to visit with Occupy Wall Street protesters for the first time on Wednesday.

Bloomberg used the brief visit to address protesters, telling them to leave the park by 7 a.m. on Friday so it can be cleaned, according to the International Business Times. Protesters were "polite-ish" during the visit, Gawker reports. (Scroll down for video.)

Some within the Occupy Wall Street movement have voiced concerns the call for "cleaning" is a ploy to push them away from Zuccotti Park once and for all. For instance, the city says demonstrators can't come back with "camping" materials after the cleaning is done.

Just a few days ago, Bloomberg said protesters could stay "indefinitely." Prior to that, he was not as certain in his remarks. Zuccotti Park is owned by Brookfield Properties, which recently complained to NYPD that cleaning is needed, leading to Bloomberg's latest comments.

HuffPost blogger Michael Gould-Wartofsky, who says he is affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Judaism organizations, captured footage of the Bloomberg visit and uploaded it to YouTube. See it below.

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Comments

[ebanks84]

12:06 PM on 10/14/2011

Eventually, I believe the corporations and wall street backers will infiltrate the movement with thugs who will cause strife and stress with the police to make the entire movement fail. The powers that be will not allow this movement to be peaceful I'm sure.

[LivToSki]

11:45 AM on 10/14/2011

It was about time!! Now, he needs a return visit to thank them for the cleanest park it has ever been.
No bullhorn Mr. Mayor. Meet and greet your constituents and learn about their stories. Then you can report them to your Wall St. cronies.

[Jeanette Schotl]

11:32 AM on 10/14/2011

The people consumed by their need for jobs, housing and bare necessities, in desperation, have taken to the streets. What fence is Mr. Bloomberg willing to stand on? He's right tho, about keeping the area clean. He could have said it in a better way, is all

[sidecarman]

10:55 AM on 10/14/2011

bloomberg is just another billionaire who needs to be releived of his wealth.

we need a 100% tax in comes over $500k and a wealth tax on assets greater than $1mil.

this will equalize all assets among the people.

this along with nationalizing all corps will make the usa a more fair and harmonious place.

[Rabindra Permesar]

10:45 PM on 10/15/2011

that's stupid

no money in politics.

truth in journalism

[mrm3]

10:49 AM on 10/14/2011

It's pretty sad that Bloomberg is about as close to a 'good guy' as can be found in NYC

[Pijiu]

10:39 AM on 10/14/2011

A couple of cold nights with rain will make their union-funded stipends seem paltry and they will go home.

[sidecarman]

10:56 AM on 10/14/2011

the nyc union workers are underpaid and are right to demonstrate

[Pijiu]

10:58 AM on 10/14/2011

which unions?

[Jeanette Schotl]

11:28 AM on 10/14/2011

I feel bad for you, that you just don't get the reason why those people are out there. I say it's overdue.

[Pijiu]

11:30 AM on 10/14/2011

I don't get it?!!!! Ask 10 of them why they are there and you'll get 11 different answers.

[cornel]

10:23 AM on 10/14/2011

Bloomberg, democrat then republican, then independent make up your mind ! Are with the 99% or against it !

[aceshigh11]

10:04 AM on 10/14/2011

Bloomberg is a cryptofascist. Get this guy out of office so he can go back to counting his billions in peace.

[Hunter Stuart]

10:02 AM on 10/14/2011

It's his FIRST time down there since it started a month ago? PATHETIC.

[Pijiu]

10:41 AM on 10/14/2011

Why should he need to go?

[mrm3]

10:50 AM on 10/14/2011

I don't know but you'd think a high profile mayor like him would make an appearance

If I remember correctly SF's mayor was there on the first day

[chronic]

11:37 AM on 10/14/2011

I'm 100% with the protesters but you are ridiculous.

[ladyrosedeky]

10:00 AM on 10/14/2011

For shame Bloomberg that this is the only conversation you decide to have with these people. Try having a real one with their representatives that they actually have.

[Tom Joad]

08:55 AM on 10/14/2011

...Occupy Bloomberg...

[CabCurious]

08:48 AM on 10/14/2011

I think he genuinely wants to help them by creating some order and cleaning things up, but this will be abused and twisted by those who want to discredit this movement.

It would be much better to work with citizens to accomplish the same goals without demanding everybody leave.

[aceshigh11]

10:05 AM on 10/14/2011

He wants to HELP? Are you KIDDING ME?

He's an oligarch...he wants to crush these people. Don't buy his nice guy shtick.

[chronic]

11:38 AM on 10/14/2011

Exactly!!!

The are blowing up his phone demanding he do something about "those trouble makers" ASAP.

[Tom Joad]

08:44 AM on 10/14/2011

MEMO
To: HizHonor
From: OWS

You leave.

[gravescanada]

08:31 AM on 10/14/2011

Such hypocracy. Mayor Bloomberg's girlfriend, Diana Taylor, is on Brookfield's board of directors, according to the property owner's website. Brookfield owns Zuccotti Park. Or do they? The park was created in 1968 by United States Steel in return for a height bonus for its adjacent headquarters at the time of its construction. There are 503 such privately-owned "public spaces" in 320 buildings in New York...They owe their existence to zoning laws, passed in 1962 and amended numerous times since, that allowed developers to build taller structures, in exchange for creating and maintaining plazas, atriums, passageways, and other spaces, all supposedly open to the public. Together, they amount to 82 acres, one-tenth the size of Central Park. In exchange, developers were permitted to add on an extra 16 million square feet of floor space. So in essence the public owns the parks. It would be up to the City of New York to remove the protestors. This all smells of collusion and deciet by the Mayor and Brookfield.

[Edward Wilkes]

08:59 AM on 10/14/2011

The Mayor was having lunch with the 1% while the Protestors were marching to his office. What does that say about Mr. Rich, Mayor, Bloomberg?

[ladyrosedeky]

09:58 AM on 10/14/2011

Sounds like the city developed a cheap green space plan. They weren't very demanding of green space but they did give it a try. And you do make a valid point that those 'parks' are there for public use, not private. However, the city could probably make the argument that the park is being monopolized and is privately owned especially if the deed to the property and upkeep is in private hands. However, the stories on this issue of having to evacuate the Occupy Wallstreeters is to allow the sanitation dept. in to clean would dismiss that argument. If it is the city's sanitation dept. and not a private company hired by the private owner, then they have no legal argument if the city is doing the upkeep.

[James Pasqua]

08:29 AM on 10/14/2011

clean the park clean the park clean the park...what do we have to do? clean the park