Occupy Wall Street protesters refuse to leave for park cleaning

Occupy Wall Street protesters said on Thursday that they plan to stay in Zuccotti park to prevent a park cleaning which is to take place on Friday morning. The protesters' statement came after New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the protesters must vacate the area for a cleaning. Friday morning, we'll awake and position ourselves with our brooms and mops in a human chain around the park, linked at the arms, the group posted on its Facebook page. If NYPD attempts to enter, well peacefully, non-violently stand our ground." The demonstrators also plan to have a large-scale clean-up of the park's grounds. They put out a call on Facebook and Twitter for people to "donate or purchase brooms, mops, squeegees, dust pans, garbage bags, power washers and any other cleaning supplies. " Bloomberg met with protesters on Wednesday evening and informed them that privately owned Zuccotti Park, where they have been staying for nearly four weeks, will be cleaned, after the owners voiced their concerns about "unsanitary conditions and considerable wear and tear on the park." The cleaning will be done in several stages, and when certain areas are cleaned, protesters will be able to come back to the park if they obey the rules set forth by the owners, Brookfield Properties, said in a statement. Meanwhile, some Occupy Wall Street protesters on Thursday protested outside the Kings County Supreme Court in Brooklyn, which holds weekly mortgage foreclosure auctions. They called for government attention to fix the foreclosure crisis. Since Sept. 17, the Occupy Wall Street protests have spread nationwide in the U.S.. The main focus is on Wall Street practices and economic inequality.