Occupy Wall Street protest gains ‘Victory’ in NYC

In the latest development of the Occupy Wall Street protests sweeping the nation, 4,000 protestors in New York City’s Zuccotti Park claimed a small victory when policemen decided to cancel plans to clear-up the park Friday morning.

The cancellation possibly prevented a standoff between policemen and protestors, where 14 people were arrested after the word broke but no major fights or disruptions occurred. Protestors viewed the turn of events as a small victory in their favor, with several hundred marching off toward the financial district following the announcement.

According to New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, the park’s owner, Brookfield Properties, made the decision to cancel cleanup plans. Mayor Bloomberg has taken a stance against the protests, and was quoted by The Guardian as saying, “What they’re trying to do is take away the jobs of people working in the city, take away the tax base that we have. We’re not going to have money to pay our municipal employees or clean out the blocks or anything else.”

The Occupy Wall Street movement was spurred by broad discontent toward government bailouts on behalf of U.S. banks and the huge profits being made on Wall Street, actions which sharply contrasted with the high unemployment and job insecurity affecting the average citizen in America.

Although the protests took root in New York City, the movement has already spread to more than 70 cities across the nation, including an Occupy L.A. movement with protestors and artists camping outside L.A. City Hall.