Forum Post: Park Clean-Up

I haven't been able to make it down to the protests myself between class and work, but I hope to do so in the coming week. Know that I stand in solidarity with all of you camped out fighting for our economic equality and the well-being of our nation. With that being said, I think it would be a positive step for the protesters to make a concerted effort to clean up the park themselves without needing to have the city/real estate company come in to do it- something I would be glad to come down and help out with/organize. Our gripe is not with the community and environment at large, nor with the sanitation workers and laborers who would be cleaning up the mess. In fact it is this class of worker who should be considered our brothers and sisters in this struggle. Cleaning the park voluntarily would send a message that we are not going anywhere- if the park needs to be cleaned, then we will clean it, but we will not vacate it or abandon our cause. It would also be a symbolic gesture to the community that, unlike those on Wall Street, we do not create metaphorical messes that others are forced to clean up. Don't give others the opportunity to say we are doing harm to the community by trashing the park, as doing so does not help to further our cause. Again, I have not yet been to Zuccotti Park to survey the scene. If the park is, in fact, in good order and this is merely an excuse to crack down on the protests, then ignore what I have said, and redouble your efforts to keep the city and real estate company at bay! I do, however, know that gatherings of this magnitude tend to generate a substantial amount of physical waste. See you on Wall Street!