‘Occupy Wall Street’ Protesters Gather at Billionaires’ Apartments
Today, Occupy Wall Street supporters left Manhattan's Financial District and organized in front of the multi-million dollar apartments of many of New York's billionaires on the Upper East Side.
By Jessica Fiur, News Editor
New York—Today, Occupy Wall Street supporters left Manhattan’s financial district and organized in front of the multi-million dollar apartments of many of New York’s billionaires on the Upper East Side.
The wealthy were targeted as an example of what organizers call “willingness to hoard wealth at the expense of the 99 percent.” The march was organized by United NY, the Strong Economy for All Coalition, the Working Families Party and New York Communities for Change.
A statement from the New York Communities for Change said protesters marched to demand “accountability for Wall Street crimes and an extension of the Millionaire’s Tax,” a New York state tax that is due to expire at the end of the year.
Protesters marched past the homes of several wealthy residents, including JP Morgan Chase’s CEO Jamie Dimon. Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate, the real estate firm that brokered Dimon’s $10 million Park Avenue apartment declined to comment for this article.
Additionally, the march, dubbed “Billionaire’s Tour” included stops at the homes of News Corp’s Rupert Murdoch; David Koch, co-founder of energy conglomerate Koch Industries; hedge fund manager John Paulson; and others.
Currently it is unclear whether the march will affect luxury building property management on New York’s Upper East Side. However, the Occupy Wall Street movement has already affected property management in the Financial District.
Brookfield Office properties, the firm that owns Zuccotti Park, the central location for the Occupy Wall Street protests downtown, has released a statement claiming that they have not been able to properly maintain the park and that sanitation has become a growing concern.
“Because many of the protestors refuse to cooperate by adhering to the [park] rules, the park has not been cleaned since Friday, September 16th, and as a result, sanitary conditions have reached unacceptable levels,” the firm said in a written statement.
