Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown says participants of the Occupy movement still camped in Niagara Square have been cooperative with city officials. But the first serious test of that smooth relationship could come when Buffalo gets its first significant snowfall.
It's not about shooing away the protestors, Brown says, but about making sure no one gets hurt.
"Our main concern would be for health and safety," Brown told reporters. "In the winter, in a major snow event or a heavy snowfall, they would be in a position where they would probably have to leave, because snow is plowed up on to the grass there and it would not be safe for someone to be in that area."
Critics of the Occupy movement suggest the arrival of winter will dampen the spirits of protestors, but knowing what their critics are saying, some protestors might decide to stick it out. Excepting the potential snow disposal conflict, Mayor Brown does not seem in a hurry to eject the protestors.
"They have been following the rules and regulations of our city charter," said mayor Brown. "As long as that continues they are certainly welcome. Our only concern, as I have mentioned, is if we have a snowfall and a winter that is harsh and has a lot of snow, we would be forced to ask them to leave for their own safety."
