A member of the group, “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung, claimed that the Times Square outdoor piazza belonged to the people. Notwithstanding the public nature of the space and its de facto landmark function in Causeway Bay, Leung’s emotive statement ignored the facts.
A privately owned public space such as the Times Square piazza is for pedestrian passage and what in legal terms is known as “passive recreation”. Anyone wishing to engage in the latter type of activities would have to first seek permission from the property owner.
Regardless of one’s political leanings, the actions of the pro-democracy activists would be seen as clearly political, even if they were peaceful and restrained. Furthermore, in reality, there has been a curious degree of flexibility, tolerance even, in terms of Times Square’s handling of the “sit-ins” by the activists.