You don't have to go home but you can't stay here

Occupy Wall Street evicted from Zuccotti Park. Finally. [Link]

Zuccotti Park, on the other hand — who'd even heard of it before? In fact, it's the Occupy Wall Street protesters who've made it famous, and if it's a tourist attraction, it's because of the OWS branding. And yet New York City parks are not mostly about attracting tourists. The people who live and work near a park are the ones with the most interest in access. 

And now that the protesters have lawyered up and gone to court in an attempt to nail down legal rights to occupy the space, it changes the character of the interaction with the mayor, and it's quite understandable that he would take a hardcore stance in response.

ADDED: The description of the battle against the police is tucked further down in the linked NYT article. Snippets:

The protesters rallied around an area known as the kitchen, near the middle of the park, and began putting up makeshift barricades with tables and pieces of scrap wood....

[As the police entered the park], dozens of protesters linked arms and shouted “No retreat, no surrender,” “This is our home” and “Barricade!”

It's turning into "Les Miserables"... Now we pledge ourselves to hold this barricade/Let them come in their legions/And they will be met/Have faith in yourselves/And don't be afraid/Let's give 'em a screwing/That they'll never forget!

I had noticed the Les Miserables parallels as well. Like in that story, the protesters have misread the political climate and worn out their welcome. Unlike that story, they get to go home now.

Zuccotti Park isn't even city property, it's private. The occupiers moved in and squatted (figuratively as well as literally), made a mess of things, caused local businesses to lose business, raised crime rates, and gotten kudos from the Nazis and the Communists.

It is now time for them to slink home and declare "victory". But what lasting change will this all make?

Compare this to the Tea Partiers:

• They had rallies (where they got permits as needed) on their agenda of smaller government
• Cleaned up after themselves and left the area cleaner than it had been on their arrival
• Organized and put their own candidates up for election
• Once those candidates were elected, they have kept pressure on them to make changes

The Occupiers:

• Squatted for two months with no permits
• Demanded free food
• Rioted
• What is their agenda? Anger? Loan forgiveness? Bankers are evil? Where is my job, I went to college?
• Left the occupations a mess to be cleaned up by others
• Now that they are going home, will they put up candidates?