Tensions mount over Occupy protesters

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and several restaurateurs near Zuccotti Park say Occupy Wall Street protesters are bad for business, but demonstrators insist their presence has helped the area, not hurt it.

Bloomberg has said protesters, with their tents, drums and restroom demands, have led to a drop in sales at several area restaurants.

"It's really hurting small businesses and families," the mayor said at a news conference Wednesday.

Several local businesses have reported losses and blamed them on the protesters, who set up camp in September and show no signs of leaving the area anytime soon.

A manager for Panini & Co. across the street from the demonstration, who declined to give his name, said that business was down by 30 percent in the past month. Earlier, the restaurant's owner, Stacey Tzortzatos, said that protesters broke her sink, costing her $3,000 in repair fees.

Bill Dobbs, Occupy Wall Street's press coordinator, said Sunday that the protesters sent a plumber to repair the sink. The manager said he didn't know about a plumber and Tzortzatos was unavailable for comment.

"If they're spending $3,000 on a sink, they must have the same budget as the Pentagon," Dobb said, referring to a September story about highly overpriced deliveries to the Pentagon building.

Dobb and other protesters have recently completed a survey of 41 nearby businesses. Though the results have not been officially released, the preliminary internal report found that "the vast majority were not impacted. While a few reported a decline in business -- due largely to police barricades -- others reported significant increases in business from occupiers and supporters," according to an email from Beth Bogart, an Occupy Wall Street press coordinator.

The report also cited a nationwide study by the nonprofit International City/County Management Association, which found that 79 percent of local governments surveyed were "not concerned" about possible economic disruption caused by the Occupy protests, 15 percent were "somewhat concerned" and 6 percent were "concerned."

Rafael Payano, a manager at a Burger King across the street from the park, said that business had picked up after many protesters began to patronize the store. Manager Alfie Apeo at a nearby Pronto Pizza said that business picked up slightly when the protests began but has since returned to normal. Many other restaurant, retail and kiosk managers reported no change in their customer flow and income.

Some, however, expressed frustration at protesters who come in to use the facilities but don't buy anything. John, a manager at Essex World Café, who declined to give his last name, hung an "out of order" sign on his fully functional bathroom, in order to deter protesters.

"I let my real customers use the one downstairs," he said.

Occupy protests elsewhere

Developments of Occupy Wall Street protests in cities around the nation:

Albany: 24 protesters were arrested after they defied an 11 p.m. curfew in a state-owned park. State police officials hauled away the protesters after warning them with megaphones that they were breaking the law in Lafayette Park. They were charged with trespassing.

Portland, Ore.: Several hundred protesters, some wearing goggles and gas masks, marched past authorities on downtown streets Sunday after riot police drove Occupy Portland demonstrators out of a pair of weeks-old encampments in nearby parks. More than 50 protesters were arrested, police said.

Oakland: City officials warned protesters that they do not have the right to camp in the plaza in front of City Hall and face immediate arrest. Police did not respond to requests for comment on whether officers were preparing to forcibly clear the camp.

Salt Lake City: Police arrested 19 people over the weekend when protesters refused to leave a park a day after a man was found dead inside his tent at the encampment. The arrests came after police moved into the park where protesters had been ordered to leave by the end of the day.

Denver: Authorities forced protesters to leave a downtown encampment and arrested four people for interfering with officers who removed illegally pitched tents, police said.

San Francisco: Violence marked the protest Saturday where police said two demonstrators attacked two police officers in separate incidents during a march. Police said a protester slashed an officer's hand with a pen knife, while another protester shoved an officer, causing facial cuts.