Lie down with protesters, get up with votes?
2013 mayoral hopeful
hopes so: He’s planning to bust out the sleeping bag and spend tonight at Zuccotti Park with the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators.
“The OWS movement in lower Manhattan has inspired many throughout America and is an important and growing populist movement,” said Allon, head of Manhattan Media and a former teacher.
“Those who oppose or belittle this movement will be on the wrong side of history, just like those who opposed civil rights and marriage equality,” the Democratic longshot said in a statement. “It is time to give voice to the voiceless and heed their cries for better educational options, better jobs and economic justice.”
Allon is certainly not the only 2013 player to express support for OWS or to visit Zuccotti Park, but I believe he’s the first one to actually get down on the ground for a sleepover.
It’s “not a stunt,” Allon told me. “I’m both supportive and interested in learning more about the goals and concerns of as many people as I can speak to tonight.”
Temperatures are expected to drop to a low of 49 degrees tonight — hardly Arctic conditions.
But as our DeJohn and Hutchinson noted today, protesters are getting ready to weather much chillier climes to get their message across:
If Mayor Bloomberg thinks Occupy Wall Street protesters will fold up camp once winter sets in, he better think again.
The Daily News was given a peek inside occupiers’ storage space at 52 Broadway and saw shelves lined with blankets, sub-zero sleeping bags, heavy coats, cough syrup and even an assortment of herbal teas.
“I’ve heard some beginnings of some plans to prepare for winter occupation of the park,” said Cory Thompson, 36, a protester staffing the storage space donated by the United Federation of Teachers.
Earlier this month, the mayor predicted the protest, entering its sixth week, will end at the first sign of frost.
“I think part of it has probably to do with the weather,” Bloomberg said on Oct. 10, judging the protesters’ stamina to keep their encampment at Zuccotti Park in the Financial District going.
Demonstrators counter that the mayor has gravely underestimated their resolve.
“We’re going to need more coats and sleeping bags,” said Steve Iskovitz, 51, a mental health counselor from Pittsburgh, who has been at the park for two weeks.
Supporters from around the country have shipped 200 to 400 packages of supplies daily to the protesters.
“At first we were dizzied by the amount of stuff coming in,” said Iskovitz.
“We’ve received packages from every state in the union,” added Justin Strakel, 22, of Cleveland. “It’s pretty amazing what’s going on here.”
The sprawling office space is filled with clothing, camping gear, medical supplies, water and can goods that could last a small army months.
“We could always use more sleeping bags and heavy jackets,” Strakel said.
Iskovitz said supplies coming into their P.O. Box from people who support their fight against corporate greed and social injustice are “uplifting.”
“It’s not just some fringe thing,” Iskovitz said.
They’ve even assembled “Jail Support Kits” containing snacks, blankets, mouthwash, socks and shirts to give to demonstrators released from police custody.
Strakel said people have also sent swimming goggles to prevent protesters from getting pepper spray in their eyes during confrontations with cops.
“We’ve probably gotten 40 pairs of goggles,” Strakel said.
