Occupy Wall Street Cleanup: Russell Simmons Offers To Pay To Avoid Violence

Following an evening of mopping, sweeping and trash collecting, the Occupy Wall Street protesters at Zuccotti Park readied themselves for a Friday morning confrontation with NYPD, preempting city efforts to clean the park and promising to defend their camp against what they suspect is a ploy to ouster them permanently.

Russell Simmons, hip hop mogul and early supporter of the movement, hopes to make any such confrontation unnecessary.

Taking to Twitter late Thursday, Simmons appealed to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who first announced that the protesters would be asked to leave the park while it is cleaned, saying that he'd personally bankroll sanitation efforts.

"Dear @MikeBloomberg -- I will pay for clean-up of Zuccotti Park to avoid confrontation. I don't wanna go to jail but I will be there ready!" he tweeted, which followed a series of messages that started with a dire prediction.

"Damn looks like they are gonna start a war out of this non violent movement. This could set off lots of chaos," he first wrote, adding, "The law says the young people can stay. I love the mayor, my advice dont allow this to get violent."

Simmons, who was at the park Thursday, then appealed to those that support the Occupy Wall Street protests, inviting them down for an early protest.

"Meet me at Zuccotti Park tmw at 7AM. There is NO way the brave, patriotic yng ppl are being kicked out. http://bit.ly/oPxWkO #OWS"

Simmons isn't the only prominent name intent on helping out the arm-in-arm human chain the protesters plan on creating. A number of the nation's top labor unions, who have already pitched in at the site, have called on their members to join early Friday morning. NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly has said that protesters will be allowed to return to the privately held property, but would not be allowed to camp there any longer.

Simmons said that would result in arrests.

"Clean up is fine, if u clean section a and don't allow the sleeping bags and set up back to section a ur gonna take us all to jail," he wrote.

Actor and activist Mark Ruffalo also visited Zuccotti Park Thursday night and has long been an outspoken supporter and frequent visitor to the protests; Tim Robbins and a whole host of other stars have also joined in.

 

 

Comments

[Veronica Pate]

07:40 PM on 10/21/2011

Russell Simmons is disgusting. This man is EXACTLY what is WRONG with America. He preys on the poor with his Rush Card, with the false statement that he is HELPING the under-served in banking, and those who use Check cashing places. While his Rush Card is under investigation in Florida for HIDDEN fees to those POOR, and under served. He further shows his GREED in stating that WALMART has taken his Rush Card and used it's example to create their own Card... or should I say ABUSE of the poor. I mean how out of touch can this man be to use WALMART as a example of ANYTHING positive for the poor. They use "AGENCIES" to hire people to unload all their IMPORTED China goods, in TEMPOARY job positions. Agencies that CHEAT the workes out of wages. Abusing illegals they "AGENCIES" use to unload Walmarts goods, while denying Americans JOBS. It's DISGUSTING how he hides behind the people who are fed up with the greed of people who have MILLIONS and BILLIONS, yet scrape every penney from the poor. Russell Simmons PIMPS his Rush Card to the black community under the guise of finicial FREEDOM .If you watch his show Running Russell Simmons, notice he's not to keen on offering blacks finical freedom with a PAYCHECK. Sure he will throw money at the clean-up, he's MADE enough off of that $1.25 per use of that Rush Card. How many GOLD toilets can one buy?

[coolfl33]

01:50 AM on 10/17/2011

Russell, Why Now? What does it bother you now that you pay lower taxes than your secretary? I mean, in order to get all of those sweet deductions you have to get your CPA to file your taxes with the deductions. If you feel so guilty why haven't you done something about it?

[coolfl33]

01:31 AM on 10/17/2011

Hey Russell, why don't you take the money you are willing to spend to clean the parks and pay the mortgages of the homes of the protestors who you love so much? After the protests are over Russell and his fellow millionaire and billionaires will return to their lavish lifestyles, while the protestors will return to their daily struggles just put a roof of their heads, clothes on their children's backs and food on the table.
So Russell I hope you and your fellow millionaires and billionaires are dining on your steak and lobsters and the comfort of your thousand dollar sheets. HYPOCRIT

[coolfl33]

01:24 AM on 10/17/2011

Hey Russell, why don't you and all of your do gooders open up one of you many million dollar mansions and give a nice, warm and safe place to protest from.

[OLJW00]

01:42 PM on 10/16/2011

The truth about OWS Protesters...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2qqRFYv3ao&feature=player_embedded

[MsG7]

10:26 AM on 10/16/2011

Good for Russell Simmons...At least he's using his money in the right way.

[Pam James]

12:50 PM on 10/15/2011

I am so proud of Russell Simmons.

[OLJW00]

11:31 AM on 10/15/2011

Simmons OWNS a bank (Debit Card) - does anyone not see the hypocrisy?

[Mr Anonymous]

01:18 PM on 10/15/2011

There is a difference between a bank and an investment bank, but I doubt you'd understand.

[OLJW00]

03:04 PM on 10/15/2011

Of course there are nuances silly...but that isn't the point.

Simmons is THE MAN at a protest about people being against THE MAN...so to speak.

And he is an American success story to be sure.. But to pretend he is "one of them" is laughable on it's face.

[djtonydee]

12:49 AM on 10/15/2011

WILL SOME ONE PLEASE TEACH RUSSEL HOW TO DRESS LIKE A GROWN MAN

[robjh1]

10:34 PM on 10/14/2011

I don't get it. I have written extensively about the Occupy Wall Street protesters. The park isn't filthy as some are saying: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-686266

In fact, the park is rather clean, all things considered. Yes, people are sleeping in the park but that doesn't make it dirty. Now what I don't understand is this move to keep the protesters there. I would think the protest is more than just sleeping in a park. Why not get a building _ headquarters. Why the need to occupy a park? Yes, being together symbolizes unity but spending the night together in a park has nothing to do with the message of disgust with corporate America and more so a message of hanging out. The protesters need to rethink there efforts. I am afraid there efforts are being hijacked by the same corporate individuals they despise.

[Bytor85326]

01:36 AM on 10/15/2011

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/13/usa-wallstreet-protests-idUSN1E79C0SI20111013

[JoePesci]

08:01 AM on 10/15/2011

But Protesters are dirty. Remember when all the uppity negroes wanted a fair shake? They had to use fire-hoses and Nazi-bred "sniffing dogs" ( yeah, they smell blood)..

[MsG7]

10:24 AM on 10/16/2011

excuse me but we don't use that word anymore

[db025]

07:07 PM on 10/14/2011

"What do we want?"

ummm...ahh

"When do we want it?"

"Now!"

[OLJW00]

11:31 AM on 10/15/2011

exactly

[Mr Anonymous]

01:19 PM on 10/15/2011

That's great, because it means they won't get hijacked by the cronies that the ba ggers did.

[RAQUELMOSCHETTO]

06:01 PM on 10/14/2011

I THOUGHT MY SON WAS THE FIRST TO FO TO COLLEGE 2009 GRADUATE AND NOTHING OUT FOR THESE KIDS WHAT FUTURE DO WE HAVE AND HE WENT TO COMM COLLEGE CAUSE I COULDNT DO IT AND IM STILL SO PROUD WHAT MESSAGE WE"OK MOM I DI IT AND I CANT GET A JOB" SOME AMERICAN DREAM SOME HOPE AFTER INSPIRING HIM THERE IS NOTHING OUT THERE!!!!!!!!! WHAT AN AMERICAN DREAM!

[RAQUELMOSCHETTO]

05:59 PM on 10/14/2011

YOU KNOW WHAT PEOPLE JUDGE BECAUSE YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE DAMN IF YOU DO AND IF YOU DONT UNFORTUNATELY WE DONT HAVE THE ECONOMY ON MY SIDE OR MY FAMILY ITS HARD I COME FROM BROOKLYN MY DAD CUBAN AMERICAN DOMINICAN MY NEPHEWS ARE BLACK AND IT STINKS WE HAVE NO OPPORTUNITY THAT WHITE MAN WOMAN WITH MASTERS WILL TAKE A JOB FROM ME AT LESS MONEY BECAUSE THATS HOW WE LIVE NOW

[RAQUELMOSCHETTO]

05:56 PM on 10/14/2011

LOVE RUSSELL SIMMONS BEEN A MEMBER OF HIS CARD SINCE DAY 1 ITS WONDERFUL TO SEE THE BIG PEOPLE NEVER FORGET WHERE THEY COME FROM YOU AND KIMORA TY FOR FIGHTING ITS SO HARD SO HARD TY FOR FIGHTING FR US!

[OLJW00]

11:32 AM on 10/15/2011

Hey Raquel - feel free to turn off the CAPS anytime.

Just a thought

[DocSAR]

05:38 PM on 10/14/2011

It wouldn't cost Russell a penny of his own $$......he'd just write it off his 2011 tax returns

[CentralNY]

06:32 PM on 10/14/2011

You obviously known nothing! Do you even pay taxes or file your own return???

Getting a tax deduction does not mean something is free...

Welcome to reality...

[DocSAR]

09:24 PM on 10/14/2011

ah yea, pay a lot of taxes...1% 'er here dude....so probably pay more in taxes than u make in a year. a tax write off lowers one's income u boob