Why protect the bull?

For the past year the New York City police have been protecting the "Wall Street Bull" around the clock.  The bull is a bronze statue, 11 feet tall and weighing 3,000 pounds.  The surveillance was triggered by the Occupy Movement.  The police apparently feared that the protesters would damage the bull so they put up a protective barrier and assigned a police car and officers to guard the bull almost every minute of the past year.  The protesters have not made any movement towards the bull.  If they had, it would be quite difficult to damage the statue.  The local residents association wants the police to stop the nonsense. But the city insists that the surveillance must continue.  How much this costs is a secret.