Brooklyn Bridge Protest Not Representative of Occupy Wall Street, Bloomberg Says

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg- who, in the past week, has emerged as a cartoonish caricature villain for the Occupy Wall Street movement to vilify after he ordered midnight raids on the peaceful encampment at Zucotti Park in lower Manhattan- has spoken out about the riot-free megamarch on the Brooklyn Bridge last night.

No solid numbers are available as to how many people marched across the Brooklyn Bridge last night from Foley Square, but estimates of 10,000 or more marchers are considered low. And while the massive march went ahead without incident, Mayor Bloomberg was quick to remind reporters that he believes the march was not representative of the movement as a whole. Bloomberg managed not only to tar the protesters in his remarks, but also the evil unions who threaten the way of life in America with their demands that corporations and businesses provide fair compensation and safe working conditions.

The New York Daily News carried some of Bloomberg’s remarks about the raid and subsequent march, where the mayor dismisses the turnout as part of a union agenda. He said:

“It was an opportunity for a bunch of unions to complain or protest or whatever they want to do.”

Bloomberg also defended the decision to surprise raid the camps at 1:30 in the morning:

“One of the surest signs we did the right thing is that no one in city, as far as I know, is calling for return of the tarps, tents and encampment of Zuccotti Park… Now, there are protestors that are probably calling for it,” Bloomberg continued, “but I don’t know of any elected officials who have stood up.”

Nearly 300 arrests were made, but only three were for felony offenses.