November 17, 2011
By Bendix Anderson
Evicted from Zuccotti Park earlier this week, Occupy Wall Street protesters called for a new demonstration Thursday, November 17.
Police forced demonstrators from the Park in the early hours of November 15th, removing dozens of tents and arresting scores of protesters. At press time, protesters had been allowed back into Zuccotti Park, though without their tents or sleeping bags. A court order ruled protesters could not occupy the park indefinitely. Police also limited the number of protester who could enter the park.
But organizers say that the Occupy Wall Street movement transcends geography. The protests will continue, whether or not protesters can stay at the Park 24 hours-a-day.
Demonstrators will gather at 5 p.m. at Foley Square just a few blocks north of City Hall on Thursday, November 17. “We will be there,” said Dan Morris, spokesperson for the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. Other local unions have promised their support, including the United Federation of Teachers and the Service Employees International Union Local 1199.
On the evening after the eviction, a cluster of protesters gathered on the corner of Liberty Street and Broadway. A young woman in a winter coat spoke and the rest repeated her words, speaking over the noise of Broadway and the five-member drum circle on the sidewalk nearby. “Just because… JUST BECAUSE… the Court ruled against us…. THE COURT RULED AGAINST US… does not mean… DOES NOT MEAN… we have been defeated… WE HAVE BEEN DEFEATED.”
