The police action in Oakland against the Occupy Wall Street movement seems to have prompted the mayor and police in New York to move forward with an effort to clean up Zuccotti park--before opening it up again to the protestors.

Police authorities have made clear that the protestors will be free to return though they will not be able to set up encampments. The question, however, is: Will they? Or does this mark the beginning of the end of the protest? The movement has certainly been sidetracked as of late by unfortunate incidents of violence and reports of unsanitary conditions among other things. The moral fervor has dipped a bit.

While the original populist energy of the movement has dissipated somewhat, that doesn't mean the movement served no purpose. It certainly made a powerful point. The goal now for the movement is to translate the mindshare they won into something tangible. Unfortunately, the goals have always been a bit vague.

Wall Street, as a symbol, will certainly endure. It's not going anywhere, and frankly, that's a good thing. The economy wouldn't function without it. That said, there have been some excesses, which the likes of Dodd-Frank have tried to curb. We applaud the effort of the reform proponents, though many efforts have been watered down by lobbyists. In the end, the tension is probably a healthy thing, though more reform may still be in order.

For more:
- here's an article from FOX on the park clean up  

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