Green Energy
Newsmax:
Police Close Down Occupy Oakland Protest Camp
Monday, 14 Nov 2011 09:49 PM
OAKLAND, Calif. — Police moved in early Monday and cleared out anti-Wall Street protesters from Oakland's City Hall plaza, arresting 32 people but avoiding the sort of clashes that marked a previous attempt to shut down the Occupy Oakland camp.
Several dozen officers dressed in riot gear and carrying batons descended on the square shortly after dawn, but took a less aggressive approach than in a similar operation on Oct. 25 and were met with less resistance from demonstrators.
On Monday, officers in some cases were smiling and talking with protesters as they took down more than 100 tents, under illumination from the searchlight of a helicopter hovering overhead. A separate line of officers kept a chanting crowd from entering the camp.
Before the camp was completely cleared, a crowd of protest supporters outside shouted "Shame on you!"
One watching protester, Joanne Warwick, said the police action was disturbing. "Here we are after five weeks and we can't work this out," she said.
Describing the early morning raid as a mistake that could trigger more volatility, a top adviser to Oakland Mayor Jean Quan resigned Monday over the city's actions.
Civil rights attorney Dan Siegel told Reuters he resigned at 2 a.m., before the raid on the encampment, after insisting police should protect, not dismantle, the camp.
"I feel like the city has really made a mistake in the way in which it decided to deal with Occupy Oakland," Siegel told Reuters. The decision, he said, was "putting city officials on the wrong side of the dispute."
In the October operation, police and protesters clashed near downtown Oakland in one of the most violent episodes since the anti-Wall Street movement began in New York in September.
Former Marine Scott Olsen was critically injured during that altercation, giving impetus to the demonstrations across the United States. Olsen, 24, was released from the hospital last week and has called for peaceful demonstrations.
'STRONG POLICE PRESENCE'
The Oakland group has been among the most visible and active in the Occupy movement, which has mobilized protesters who object, among other things, to a financial system they say only benefits the rich. One major protest temporarily shut down the Northern California city's port earlier this month.
By morning rush hour Monday, the City Hall plaza was closed off by fences. Collapsed tents and debris lay scattered throughout the plaza.
Police and a handful of protesters lingered along the edges of the plaza, the latter singing songs at an intersection blocked off by police as commuters rushed by to work.
"We had to bring the camps to an end before more people got hurt," Mayor Jean Quan told a news conference after the action. City officials hoped to reopen the plaza to protesters by 6 p.m., but would not allow camping.
"There will be a strong police presence at the plaza 24/7," said Acting Police Chief Howard Jordan.
The city of Oakland had put out a notice addressed to "Dear Business Leader" Monday morning, saying the police were enforcing an order issued Friday.
It said "the City could not assure adequate public health and safety in the plaza" the protesters had occupied, and suggested businesses might want to consider delaying the start of their work days Monday.
The Oakland operation was one of several in recent days aimed at clearing protesters out of encampments authorities say have become dangers to public health or sources of crime.
The weekend saw police operations in Salt Lake City, Denver, and Portland, Oregon, as well as threats of action in other cities if protesters did not clear out on their own.
In St. Louis, where 27 anti-Wall Street protesters were arrested Saturday, attorneys for members of Occupy St. Louis planned to take their battle to regain their downtown campsite to federal court Tuesday.
They seek an injunction that would allow an overnight presence in Kiener Plaza, the downtown city park near the Gateway Arch where they maintained a camp for six weeks.
- Shocker!
Fox: White House told authorities not to crack down on 'Occupy' protesters, documents show The Obama administration told law enforcement authorities to go easy on Occupy Wall Street protesters, even though they were violating local laws, according...
-
CBS New York: OWS Protesters Calling For ‘Day Of Action’ Following Loss Of Camp In Zuccotti Park NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The loss of their camp at Zuccotti Park doesn’t seem to be slowing down the Occupy Wall Street movement as protesters are...
-
That they even need to establish a "safe haven" for women, "rape free zone" speaks volumes about these putzes. These same dumbass punks who demanded the homeless should not be eating in THEIR kitchen then turn around and ask those same homeless for tips...
- Yes!
The Blaze: Meet the Oakland Developer Who Used a Shotgun to ‘Discourage’ Occupy Rioters Posted on November 4, 2011 at 2:10pm by Becket Adams Although some businesses have been targeted and vandalized by Occupy Oakland protesters, there is at least...
- #ottatot
Ok. So let me see if I have this right. In New York the Occupiers rampaged caused trouble clashed with police and partook of chaos and mayhem to protest the police clash with the Oakland protestors rampaging causing trouble and partaking of chaos and...
Green Energy
Newsmax:
Police Close Down Occupy Oakland Protest Camp
Monday, 14 Nov 2011 09:49 PM
OAKLAND, Calif. — Police moved in early Monday and cleared out anti-Wall Street protesters from Oakland's City Hall plaza, arresting 32 people but avoiding the sort of clashes that marked a previous attempt to shut down the Occupy Oakland camp.
Several dozen officers dressed in riot gear and carrying batons descended on the square shortly after dawn, but took a less aggressive approach than in a similar operation on Oct. 25 and were met with less resistance from demonstrators.
On Monday, officers in some cases were smiling and talking with protesters as they took down more than 100 tents, under illumination from the searchlight of a helicopter hovering overhead. A separate line of officers kept a chanting crowd from entering the camp.
Before the camp was completely cleared, a crowd of protest supporters outside shouted "Shame on you!"
One watching protester, Joanne Warwick, said the police action was disturbing. "Here we are after five weeks and we can't work this out," she said.
Describing the early morning raid as a mistake that could trigger more volatility, a top adviser to Oakland Mayor Jean Quan resigned Monday over the city's actions.
Civil rights attorney Dan Siegel told Reuters he resigned at 2 a.m., before the raid on the encampment, after insisting police should protect, not dismantle, the camp.
"I feel like the city has really made a mistake in the way in which it decided to deal with Occupy Oakland," Siegel told Reuters. The decision, he said, was "putting city officials on the wrong side of the dispute."
In the October operation, police and protesters clashed near downtown Oakland in one of the most violent episodes since the anti-Wall Street movement began in New York in September.
Former Marine Scott Olsen was critically injured during that altercation, giving impetus to the demonstrations across the United States. Olsen, 24, was released from the hospital last week and has called for peaceful demonstrations.
'STRONG POLICE PRESENCE'
The Oakland group has been among the most visible and active in the Occupy movement, which has mobilized protesters who object, among other things, to a financial system they say only benefits the rich. One major protest temporarily shut down the Northern California city's port earlier this month.
By morning rush hour Monday, the City Hall plaza was closed off by fences. Collapsed tents and debris lay scattered throughout the plaza.
Police and a handful of protesters lingered along the edges of the plaza, the latter singing songs at an intersection blocked off by police as commuters rushed by to work.
"We had to bring the camps to an end before more people got hurt," Mayor Jean Quan told a news conference after the action. City officials hoped to reopen the plaza to protesters by 6 p.m., but would not allow camping.
"There will be a strong police presence at the plaza 24/7," said Acting Police Chief Howard Jordan.
The city of Oakland had put out a notice addressed to "Dear Business Leader" Monday morning, saying the police were enforcing an order issued Friday.
It said "the City could not assure adequate public health and safety in the plaza" the protesters had occupied, and suggested businesses might want to consider delaying the start of their work days Monday.
The Oakland operation was one of several in recent days aimed at clearing protesters out of encampments authorities say have become dangers to public health or sources of crime.
The weekend saw police operations in Salt Lake City, Denver, and Portland, Oregon, as well as threats of action in other cities if protesters did not clear out on their own.
In St. Louis, where 27 anti-Wall Street protesters were arrested Saturday, attorneys for members of Occupy St. Louis planned to take their battle to regain their downtown campsite to federal court Tuesday.
They seek an injunction that would allow an overnight presence in Kiener Plaza, the downtown city park near the Gateway Arch where they maintained a camp for six weeks.
- Shocker!
Fox: White House told authorities not to crack down on 'Occupy' protesters, documents show The Obama administration told law enforcement authorities to go easy on Occupy Wall Street protesters, even though they were violating local laws, according...
-
CBS New York: OWS Protesters Calling For ‘Day Of Action’ Following Loss Of Camp In Zuccotti Park NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The loss of their camp at Zuccotti Park doesn’t seem to be slowing down the Occupy Wall Street movement as protesters are...
-
That they even need to establish a "safe haven" for women, "rape free zone" speaks volumes about these putzes. These same dumbass punks who demanded the homeless should not be eating in THEIR kitchen then turn around and ask those same homeless for tips...
- Yes!
The Blaze: Meet the Oakland Developer Who Used a Shotgun to ‘Discourage’ Occupy Rioters Posted on November 4, 2011 at 2:10pm by Becket Adams Although some businesses have been targeted and vandalized by Occupy Oakland protesters, there is at least...
- #ottatot
Ok. So let me see if I have this right. In New York the Occupiers rampaged caused trouble clashed with police and partook of chaos and mayhem to protest the police clash with the Oakland protestors rampaging causing trouble and partaking of chaos and...