Occupy Wall Street has taken their wrath out on Trinity Church this year, and the Church has told Fox News that they are going to have to cancel their yearly Halloween festival. The CEO of the Church, Reverend James Cooper said that the church, located at Broadway and Wall Street cited safety concerns involving the protestors sleeping on the sidewalk in front of the church.
Cooper said in a statement:
“Canceling a beloved family event is not a decision taken lightly. Last year, more than 1,200 people took part. However, we are deeply concerned about the escalating illegal and abusive activity the camp presents.”
The Occupy Trinity Wall Street group is currently the longest standing group of the Occupy movement . So far 9 protestors have been arrested after they put an air horn up to the ear of the Church’s maintenance worker.
Linda Hanick, a spokeswoman for Trinity Church, said:
“The sidewalk is owned by the city, so we don’t have the legal power to remove people from the sidewalk, but it’s our responsibility to clean it. We hose down the sidewalk and throw away the trash.” She said that the daily cleanings always lead to a confrontation and that “They will only get up if a white shirt — a lieutenant — is there. It becomes a tense situation.”
Hanick said that the Church’s usual trick or treating in the court yard and screenings of children’s movies will have to be cancelled this year. She said:
“We’re determined that this situation is not going to threaten any of our ministries and events and all of the good work we do,” she said. “However, the Halloween event is a little different, with children coming into the church after dark. We just felt that out of an abundance of caution that this was not a friendly, safe environment to hold Halloween activities.”
Do you support the Occupy Wall Street Movement camping outside of the church and cancelling the festivities?