Demonstrators Test Mayor Bloomberg, a Backer of Wall St. and Free Speech

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Shortly before noon on Wednesday, the barricades that impeded foot traffic along Wall Street for weeks came down. Elected officials praised the mayor. Shopkeepers breathed sighs of relief.

But just seven hours later, the barricades went back up. Occupy Wall Street protesters were on the move, and the police were worried they would flood the street.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who over the last seven weeks has struggled publicly with how to manage New York City’s response to the demonstration Occupy Wall Street, on Thursday offered a staccato analysis of his administration’s latest effort at finding a way forward:

“Taken down. People marched in the streets. Put up. We’ll try again.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/04/nyregion/for-bloomberg-wall-street-protest-poses-a-challenge.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha3