I stopped by Zucotti Square yesterday morning and was happily surprised to see the place completely cleaned out. Other than the continued beefed-up police presence and barricades that fully encircle the park to keep the Marxist Occupiers from returning, it looked pretty normal.
Just a few tourists milling around, and a small stream of gawkers strolling by checking out the scene that is no more.
There was a very small and insignificant band of OWS cultists in attendance. But the tents, mind-numbing drumming, and disgusting odors were gone.
A cop I spoke with said that the barricades and police presence were going to be a semi-permanent fixture until further notice. The owners of the park also hired their own private security patrol.
There was even a family taking photos in front of the park Christmas tree.
The shantytown is gone, but the place will forever be a magnet for political street theater. Like this fellow who is a retired Philadelphia police officer.
It is a far, far cry from the Bloomberg-created nightmare that it was. But for some reason it felt tense and unsettled, like the place was bracing itself for another onslaught of insanity.
(cross posted from urbaninfidel.blogspot.com)
