A restaurant owner believes an occupied Wall Street is crowding out his business. He says police barricades meant to protect establishments from protest mayhem have restricted foot traffic, dropping sales by 30 percent and forcing him to lay off 21 workers — more than a sixth of his workforce — and placed his operation in jeopardy.

Gothamist spoke to the owner, who opened the upscale eatery in June:

“I have no opinion about the protesters’ point of view. These barriers are killing my business, and everyone — the police, the protesters, the Mayor–has to understand the ramifications. The police decided the way to solve this was to put up these barricades, and I’ve approached every white shirt police officer here and said, “You are killing my business!” They say they’re just following orders.”

His comments should be taken with a grain of salt because restaurant turnover in New York is notoriously high, and his institution had not sustained success for a significant period. The owner adds that NYPD has ignored his requests to remove the barricades.

Wall Street Restaurant Owner Lays Off Staff, May Go Bust Because Of Occupy Wall Street Barricades [Gothamist via Huffington Post]

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