New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has been trying to evict the protesters of Occupy Albany for weeks. The 99 Percenters of Occupy Albany have embarrassed the governor by insisting that he drop his opposition to renewing the millionaire’s tax.

Today, Glenn Valle, the former Chief Counsel to the State Police from 1989-2009 and counsel to the governor’s deputy secretary for public safety from 2009 to 2010, wrote a letter to the editor in the Times Union blasting Cuomo for trying to evict the demonstrators. Noting that he has little in common with their cause, Valle said that the protesters have a “First Amendment right” to do what they are doing and that what Cuomo is trying to do is “repugnant and inexcusable“:

The Oct. 25 editorial, “Occupy Albany’s right to protest,” correctly criticized Gov. Andrew Cuomo for an apparent political attempt to order the State Police to remove the “Occupy Albany” protesters from Lafayette Park. While I may share few of the protesters’ views on economic policy, those involved, under the peaceful circumstances of this protest, certainly had a First Amendment right that should not have, at this juncture, been disturbed by the police.

For an elected official to utilize a police agency to threaten peaceful protesters merely because they represent a political inconvenience is an egregious abuse of power. It is something that I cannot recall occurring in my 26-year tenure with the State Police. I believe, however, that your thoughtful editorial neglected to note one critical point: This is the very same Andrew Cuomo who, as attorney general, repeatedly criticized the supposed “political” involvement with the State Police of two former governors. If these allegations are true, it renders his insertion into this matter for political considerations all the more repugnant and inexcusable.

Occupy Albany is currently winterizing, digging in for a long struggle against Cuomo and for economic justice. “We’re committed to staying out here to defend our rights,” said protester Daniel Morrissey. “We’ve got to keep the people warm so they can hang out all day, all night.”

Last week, 99 Percenters in descended on Albany, New York, close to the state capitol in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street. Thus, “Occupy Albany” was born. One of the major demands that Occupy Albany and other New York 99 Percenters have been making is for Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) to drop his opposition to extending the millionaire’s tax.

The New York Post notes that Cuomo, wary of the fact that three-quarters of New Yorkers support the millionaire’s tax tried to shut down Occupy Albany over the weekend. He put pressure on Mayor Jerry Jennings to enforce an ordinance closing parks at 11 p.m. But the mayor resisted and district attorney David Soares told the city he would not prosecute any of the protesters:

Gov. Cuomo suffered a rare political defeat over the weekend as he tried but failed to get Albany’s Democratic mayor to do something Mayor Bloomberg won’t do: shut down the local Occupy Wall Street demonstration. [...] Albany’s leftist-oriented and highly political district attorney, David Soares, told city officials he wouldn’t prosecute demonstrators who were arrested by Albany police. “My understanding is he spoke to the Albany police and told them he wouldn’t prosecute,’’ said Jennings.

“We’re just getting this off the ground,” said Occupy Albany protester Dave Sickler. “These things take time. Right now, we’re just getting people here and figuring out what we’re going to do.” Thanks to Jennings and Soares, the protesters will get a chance to practice their First Amendment rights without being shut down.

Last night, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was honored at the “AOL Huffington Post Game Changers Awards at Skylight Soho” in New York City.

The Soho event with Cuomo was met with protests by at least 150 protesters from Occupy Wall Street who were targeting Cuomo over his opposition to extending a special tax on high-incomes in New York referred to in parochial as the “Millionaire’s Tax” — a tax that nearly 3/4 of New Yorkers support but the governor does not.

One protester pointed out that there have been huge cuts for teachers, firefighters, and cops and that Cuomo is effectively granting a tax cut to millionaires by endorsing the end of the millionaire’s tax:

“We just had some of the largest layoffs of teachers around the state, 2,000 [fewer] teachers in classrooms in the city of New York right now. Cuts to firefighters, cuts to cops, cuts to homeless shelters, cuts to all these things because he does not want to continue the tax on millionaires,” said Jonathan Westin of New York Communities For Change. “He actually wants to give them a tax cut.”

Feminist author Naomi Wolf was an attendee at the Cuomo event. She decided to join the protesters outside to demonstrate against the governor’s defense of millionaires. She was arrested while standing on the sidewalk after refusing to move. Watch video of her arrest:

Wolf explained her arrest on her Facebook page, writing, “I have been released from custody. I was completely complying with the law and the permit as it was described to me by police and I was arrested for standing lawfully on the sidewalk. I will post more tomorrow. Thank you for your messages of support.”