Bill de Blasio said he “would build spaces” where Occupy Wall Street activists can hold discussions with city officials. Joe Lhota said he would respond to Occupy-style protests with the Bloomberg administration’s “road map” for such events. And Christine Quinn said conversations between protesters and authorities would be less “adversarial” on her watch.
Nearly two years after Occupy Wall Street protesters took over a park in Lower Manhattan—and then were removed forcibly by police—New York City mayoral candidates have strong opinions about how Mayor Michael Bloomberg responded, and varied ideas about how they would handle similar protests.
To Republicans such as Mr. Lhota and John Catsimatidis, Mr. Bloomberg—who isn’t affiliated with either party—handled the protests well. Mr. Lhota said he may even act more quickly than Mr. Bloomberg did, “now that we know what can be done.”
Among Democrats, responding to an Occupy-style protest prompted different responses.
“At the end of the day, we failed,” Ms. Quinn, the City Council Speaker, said of Mr. Bloomberg’s handling of the protests. “The conversation [between protesters and authorities] was adversarial…There should have been a compromise to get them back in [the park]. I disagree with where it all ended up.”
The protests that became an international sensation began in September 2011, when hundreds of demonstrators began living at Zuccotti Park, a privately owned public space, and holding unpredictable marches around the city to highlight the gap between the rich and poor.
For nearly two months, New York Police Department officers monitored the Zuccotti Park encampment as it developed into a mini-city. Authorities didn’t push out the protesters as pressure mounted from some business groups and editorial boards. Then, in the early morning hours of Nov. 15, 2011, the police cleared the park and arrested hundreds, including some journalists.
Today, political analysts said, the candidates’ views on the city’s reaction to Occupy Wall Street reveal much about how they want to present themselves to voters on issues of public dissent, the proper use of police force and the urgency of income inequality.
Spontaneous, permitless protests have since become more common, most recently after the verdict acquitting George Zimmerman of murder in the death of Trayvon Martin.
“So how does a politician respond to civil protest?” said Douglas Muzzio, a political science professor at Baruch College. “It’s not only Occupy. It’s a resonant issue.”
In an email Mr. de Blasio said that Mr. Bloomberg showed “blatant disregard for community voices” during the Occupy demonstrations. Mr. de Blasio, who has worked to appeal to his party’s grass roots, said: “As mayor…I would work to build spaces where OWS and government officials could communicate and discuss ways to address their demands.”
Bill Thompson, the former city comptroller, said in an email he would have “let the conflict come to a natural conclusion rather than a direct confrontation” but declined to elaborate.
Breaking with the other Democrats, former Rep. Anthony Weiner said he largely agreed with how Mr. Bloomberg handled Occupy Wall Street. He said the mayor gave protesters enough time to “blow off some steam,” and then “ultimately the police and the mayor were right to move the encampment.”
Mr. Weiner said the next mayor would have to decide whether to continue what appears to be the NYPD’s current policy on spontaneous Occupy-style marches—allowing permit-less protests and making arrests when safety is jeopardized.
“I think the ideal is to allow people to blow off steam in a way that doesn’t endanger their neighbors,” he said Sunday.
An NYPD spokesman didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson said Mr. Bloomberg worked to protect both the general public and the Occupy protesters’ rights. “My collective response is that [the Democratic candidates’] comments sound like a parody of a Tom Wolfe novel,” he said. “Take a laissez faire attitude and hope people leave on their own accord? That’s not leadership.”
Mr. Wolfson laughed about Mr. de Blasio’s comments. “That’s literally laughable,” he said. “We’re going to build Occupy Wall Street recreation centers? That’s great. That’s outrageous. That’s a joke.”
Dan Levitan, a de Blasio aide, said Mr. de Blasio “meant build a space, as in ‘create an opportunity for a dialogue,’ not a literal, physical place.”
Democratic candidates aren’t the only ones critical of how Mr. Bloomberg dealt with Occupy Wall Street. A Quinnipiac University poll in December 2011 found that 51% of voters disapproved.
As for Occupy Wall Street protesters themselves, most interviewed for this article said they wouldn’t endorse a candidate for mayor.
“There may be some [Occupy] influence on the rhetoric of the candidates but what actually gets delivered can be quite different,” said Bill Dobbs, an Occupy Wall Street activist.
Kalle Lasn, the Adbusters magazine founder who is sometimes credited with creating Occupy Wall Street, said he prefers Mr. Weiner. “Of all the candidates, Weiner is the most interesting dude in the race, even if it’s for negative reasons,” he said. “He tells me something about the zeitgeist and the consciousness of the public.”
Mr. Lasn said he expects economic events to spur future protests. “You may see a resurgence of [protesters] and young energy in a way that will make Bloomberg look like he didn’t get it,” he said. “And like Occupy Wall Street was a game of tiddlywinks.”