Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said he supports the protesters’ free-speech rights as long as they don’t violate the law. He said he’ll defer to the owner of Zuccotti Park, Brookfield Office Properties Inc., to determine how long the demonstrators can stay. Brookfield’s park rules forbid camping, lying on benches, and using tarps and tents…“I’m 100 percent in favor of protecting — 1,000 percent in favor — of giving people rights to say things, but also we have to protect those who don’t want to say anything,” Bloomberg said today at a press briefing in Queens. “There are places where I think it’s appropriate to express yourself and then there are other places that are appropriate to set up a tent city, and they don’t necessarily have to be one and the same,” he said. “The Constitution doesn’t protect tents, it protects speech and assembly.” [Bloomberg]
Occupy Wall Street
The New York bank reported third quarter earnings rose 74 percent in the third quarter, to $3.8 billion, due to lower losses from loans and an accounting gain. Its international consumer lending business grew in Asia and Latin America. The bank also decided to keep its credit card partnership with retailers as that business improved…Last week Vikram Pandit, CEO of Citigroup, said he understands the sentiments of the protesters and was willing to meet with them. Citi spokesman Edward Skyler said no one had reached out from the organizers to talk with Pandit yet. [AP, earlier]
Cramer says their goals should include holding accountable those responsible for the housing crisis — “Let’s indict them. We all know that they committed, to me, they committed crimes.” — and the repayment of bonuses that were given out at banks that received TARP money. “It’s outrageous!” he said. “It is outrageous what they paid themselves. It is obscene! I mean, there are real reasons to be angry.” [Daily Intel]
Wall Street Protestors Hoping The “I’ll Be Good, I’ll Be Good, I’ll Be Good” Move Works On Bloomberg, Zuccotti Park Owners
By Bess Levin
Yesterday afternoon, after previously stating that the Wall Street protestors staying Zuccotti Park could remain there as long as they pleased, Mayor Bloomberg announced that the occupiers would 1) have to temporarily relocate while the area is cleaned and 2) leave their tents, tarps, and other accoutrement home when they come back. Some have told the cleaning crew they can go fuck themselves and that they’re not going anywhere, ever, while others are taking a page from the parent/child-threat-of-punishment-spurs-kids-to-furious-cleaing-of-room-and-promise-to-be-good book. Continue reading »
Some protesters objected to city and the landlord’s depiction of the park and said some would try to remain, no matter what the city or Brookfield do. “Unsanitary? We have a cleaning department here,” said Junior Martinez, 23 years old, who lives on the Lower East Side when not camping out. He added: “Tents or not, we will sleep without tents. I think people are going to end up doing it no matter what.” [WSJ, earlier]
Earlier this morning, Fortune hosted a breakfast with Vikram Pandit to pick his brain on what’s been a’ poppin’ at Citi and the economy in general. According to Pandit, the Big C will report a profit for the third quarter and he does “not expect the U.S. to go into a recession,” which is all very exciting news. When asked about the individuals occupying Wall Street, he said that their grievances are “completely understandable” and that “trust has been broken between financial institutions and citizens.” And that’s not all. Continue reading »
- Use the Bloomberg command
NH BLG_DEALBREAKER <GO>
to access Dealbreaker
