New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg may not be a fan of Occupy Wall Street, but he’s not going to force the protest to shut down any time soon.

“The bottom line is – people want to express themselves,” he said, according to The Wall Street Journal. “And as long as they obey the laws, we’ll allow them to.”

Despite Bloomberg’s seeming generosity, he doesn’t really have a say in whether the protest will continue. Zuccotti Park, the location of the protests, is privately owned by businessman John Zuccotti.

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Zuccotti said that he’s fine with the protesters occupying the space, just as long as the park stays clean.

The mayor has been vocal on his displeasure with the Occupy Wall Street protests, calling them “not realistic.” He added, “The protests that are trying to destroy the jobs of working people in this city aren’t productive.”