NEW YORK (Reuters) - Anti-Wall Street protesters threatened on Thursday to block any efforts by clean-up crews to enter their camp to clear away three-weeks worth of debris, raising anxiety about a potential showdown between demonstrators and police.
While New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said the protests by the Occupy Wall Street movement can continue as long as laws are obeyed, the city has become concerned over the build-up of trash and general wear and tear on Zuccotti Park, headquarters for the demonstrators.
Bloomberg visited protesters at the park on Wednesday night and informed them it would be cleaned by work crews on Friday.
Zuccotti Park is about five blocks from City Hall, located in lower Manhattan.
Occupy Wall Street pledged to resist any effort by cleaning crews or police to enter the park, asking protesters to create a human chain around the area to "peacefully/non-violently stand our ground," according to a post on its Facebook page.
The movement, which began on September 17 when protesters set up camp in Lower Manhattan, plans to undertake its own clean-up effort and sent out requests on Thursday for mops, brooms, garbage bags and power washers.
Since an unremarkable beginning, the protests have spread across the United States, as people in other cities take up the cry against the billions of dollars in bank bailouts doled out during the recession that is allowing banks to resume earning huge profits while many average Americans lost their jobs and savings.
In New York, residents have complained about loud music at night, including bongo playing, and filthy conditions at Zuccotti Park, overseen by Brookfield Office Properties Inc. City officials said they planned to clean the park in stages, and allow protesters to return once the work is complete.
(Reporting by Paul Thomasch and Michelle Nichols; editing by Philip Barbara)
