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City Hall Tours Slow To A Crawl During Occupy Philadelphia

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Dilworth Plaza outside City Hall has been transformed into a campsite during the Occupy Philadelphia movement. (Credit: Jim Melwert)

Dilworth Plaza outside City Hall has been transformed into a campsite during the Occupy Philadelphia movement. (Credit: Jim Melwert)

Mike Dunn

Reporting Mike Dunn

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The nearly-week-long “Occupy Philadelphia” protest at City Hall has had one unintended victim: the City Hall tour operation.

The City Hall tours begin at the Visitor’s Center on the ground level, which used to be easily accessible through the City Hall courtyard. That changed when Occupy Philadelphia began last Thursday.

“The police have put up barricades around the building, which makes it more difficult for people to get access to the Visitors’ Center,” says Greta Greenberger, who runs the tour operation.

Greenberger says visitors now must go through a security entrance and then through corridors to get to the center.

And the result is immediate. “Oh, it’s terrible. Our business has dwindled to almost no people coming in. People don’t even realize that we are still offering tours of the building, and that our Visitor’s Center and gift shop is still available.”

The tours are administered by the Independence Visitor’s Center and receive no city funding.

“The income, or lack of income, really is jeopardizing our program.”

Adding insult to injury, the portion of the tour that takes people up the City Hall tower was closed a few weeks ago to repair a crack apparently caused by the August earthquake.

Reported by City Hall Bureau Chief Mike Dunn, KYW Newsradio 1060

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  • http://www.politicspa.com/1013-morning-buzz/28671/ 10/13 Morning Buzz | PoliticsPA

    [...] ‘Occupy Philly’ Becoming More Organized FoxPhilly: Occupy Philly Site Becoming A Big Mess CBS: City Hall Tours Slow to a Crawl During Occupy Philadelphia WHYY Newsworks: What would Gov. [...]

  • John

    INteresting that the businesses they are negatively affecting near City Hall might have to lay off people all to support the people protesting the fact that there are no jobs. Interesting.

  • anon513

    According to the news, they are costing us Tax Payers $33,000 per day in Overtime for the PPD. The sad thing is, when they are finished protesting, we are stuck with not only the cleanup, but also the cost of their actions. I totally agree: Take the protest to the properties of the people you are protesting against. Dirty up their places and leave us alone. We are not the enemy.

  • John

    I’m all for protesting the people that have billions of dollars. But why don’t these protesters move from these locations and protest at the billionaires homes. This protest is costing the 99 percent people (tax payers) a lot on money for the cities to supply Law Enforcement services.

    • Laura

      99 percent of the people do NOT all pay taxes. Most of them live tax free which is why we are broke.

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