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During a media briefing Wednesday night Oakland Mayor Jean Quan thanked protesters for holding a peaceful “Occupy Oakland” demonstration in front of City Hall.
Quan said she and interim police Chief Howard Jordan are willing
to meet with protesters.
Jordan said six to seven injuries were reported during Tuesday
night’s demonstration, including a head injury.
He said the department is investigating that incident as if it was
an officer-involved shooting, though he would not disclose which agency it involved.
Local sheriff’s departments and the California Highway Patrol
assisted Oakland police during Tuesday night’s demonstration.
Quan said “If the demonstration can stay peaceful and safe,” there will be a minimal police presence.
Jordan said that police responded with force on Tuesday night
because they were being pelted with rocks and bottles.
Quan said “99 percent of the protesters were absolutely peaceful”, blaming the confrontations with police Tuesday night on a select few.
Quan and Jordan stopped short of saying protesters would be
allowed to stay overnight in the plaza.
As of 9:30 p.m. few police could be seen in the area and at least
one tent was pitched in Frank Ogawa Plaza.
Many of the demonstrators were heading across the Bay to join
“Occupy SF” protesters who are rallying in the face of a possible eviction by police Wednesday night.
Protesters at Wednesday night’s general assembly meeting earlier addressed how to move forward given the recent events.
“The whole world is watching Oakland,” said the speaker who opened the discussion.
The group called for a citywide strike on Nov. 2, where workers
and students would leave their positions to join a march in downtown Oakland.
The announcement drew cheers from the gathered crowd.
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Demonstrators with the “Occupy SF” movement were bracing for a brush with authorities Wednesday night after receiving a warning from police that the camp near the Ferry Building continues to violate local laws.
Ryan, a media representative for the camp identified only by his
first name, said that the group was expecting police to descend on the camp at Justin Herman Plaza at either midnight or 3 a.m.
“A lot of people are already walking around with gas masks and
goggles,” he said, noting that they were taking additional unspecified precautions.
The group planned to hold its ground at the site, which according to law enforcement is in violation of the law for the use of propane tanks and open flames, public urination and defecation, and overnight camping.
As long as police do not remove all people occupying the public
space, the group plans to stay at the park, Ryan said. Otherwise, “Occupy SF” members plan to regroup this afternoon in front of the Federal Reserve building and Civic Center.
A notice outlining the violations was handed out to protesters on
Tuesday. Police had issued a similar notice to the occupiers on Oct. 11 before raiding the group’s encampment on Oct. 16. Five people were arrested in that raid.
Even though the group has been in continuous violation of the law, organizers said that they are doing their best to remedy the problems as they are pointed out.
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An Iraq War veteran was critically injured during “Occupy Oakland” protests Tuesday night when he was hit in the head with a police projectile, according to the group Iraq Veterans Against the War.
Scott Olsen, 24, of Daly City, has been active in the “Occupy SF”
and “Occupy Oakland” protests over the past several weeks, and attended large protests Tuesday night in response to the police removal of the protesters’ encampment at Frank Ogawa Plaza.
Olsen served two tours of duty in Iraq, and has since been
involved in Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace, said Dottie Guy, Bay Area chapter president for Iraq Veterans Against the War.
He was discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps in 2010 and works in Daly City as a systems administrator, according to a news release issued by Iraq Veterans Against the War.
The release stated that Olsen is currently sedated at Highland
Hospital in Oakland with a skull fracture awaiting examination by a neurosurgeon.
Abele Carpenter, 29, a friend of Olsen’s who met him through his
anti-war activism, said she visited Olsen in the hospital early Wednesday morning and has been in touch with his family.
Friends and supporters of Olsen have gathered for a vigil there,
including veterans and fellow protesters.
Joshua Shepherd, a six-year Navy veteran and an activist with
Veterans for Peace, attended the vigil, and said he also visited Olsen in the hospital Wedesday morning.
Olsen was injured overnight as law enforcement officers used tear gas, rubber bullets and smoke grenades attempting to break up an assembly outside Oakland’s Frank Ogawa Plaza at 14th Street and Broadway.
Erika Heidecker, Bay City News
By
Erika Heidecker, Bay City News
By
Here’s hoping the recall effort against Quan succeeds soon, before more good people and businesses flee Oakland. She has no concept of what it takes to make Oakland neighborhoods safer, hence her running the former police chief off by not supporting the force or the policies that would help to lower the crime rate and keep residents safer.
Her wimpy stand against the lowlifes squatting in public spaces overnight for days on end indicates what Oakland’s populace can expect throughout her term. Appeasement never works….stand up for law and order or take the laws off the books if they won’t be enfrced and quit kidding yourself and everyone else.
What law would you be referring to that needs to be repealed Steve, the First Amendment to the Constitution? Do you call having the police shoot people with rubber bullets, bombard them with stun grenades and gas them wimpy? Did you forget to read the newspaper for the last few years to understand what people are protesting about? You sound like a Fascist.
baby steve and daddy Steve know nothing about FREE SPEECH.
The both pay lip service to the US Constitution…lip service.
They have no respect for fellow Americans with whom they disagree.
2 sad sacks…baby steve and daddy Steve…are they an item? hmmmm…
You pacifists should be applauding the effort to recall Quan—she authorized the use of force on these vagrants.
Free speech is something these derelicts can still partake in from 6 am to 10pm. The problem, for my newspaper reading friend Michael above, is that they camped out in a public space after repeated warnings not to do so. It’s called breaking the law, for which they were rightly punished. You guys sound like anarchists, not believers in the Constitution.
The second amendment provides a means for dealing with anarchists, who want nothing more than the destruction of property and creating chaos with no other goals or objectives. It happened in London and it’s happening here and yet nothing has changed, except more law breakers in jail where they belong. They can practice their protest speeches in the privacy of their cells for hours on end…..
I concur with Michael. The above guy sounds like a fascist.
I concur with Steve. Michael and Cary have their heads in the sand and seem to not understand the Constitution. Wake up. Read it and abide by the laws of our Land. Are you sure the 2 of you were not sleeping on dirt with your bags in Oakland along with the other protesters. (breaking our laws and costing tax dollars etc.) You are part of the problem, not the solution.
Freedom of speech DOES NOT include throwing feces and urine filled balloons at police officers who are trying to keep the event peaceful. There are no Fascists here, but I do see the writings of a couple selfish, narcissistic and immature punks who think they can do whatever they want and not follow the rules of civilized society.
Along with the First Amendment right for freedom of speech comes a responsibility to behave in a civilized manner, but when you can’t do that, police must make you behave.
God Bless the men and women in Blue who risk their lives and are subjected to indignities most people can not comprehend.
When some dirty “Occupy” protester says into a TV camera, “We weren’t doing anything…” ask yourself why the news reporters don’t give police equal time. I think we would all be horrified at what police officers see and experience.
Based on the Flea Party’s urge to defecate on public grounds, on police cars, I now refer to them as Marxist Defecrats instead of Marxist Democrats.
Let’s see…what is the difference between the Marxist Defecrat Flea Party and the Tea Party?
Well, aside from the obvious difference in where each respective party prefers to relieve themselves, let’s look at the number of arrests during these party protests.
Tea Partiers = zero arrests
Flea Partiers = nearly 3000 and counting
These Flea Partiers and the rest of the Marxist Defecrats are demanding “equality of outcome” for all and the conservative Tea Partiers are demanding “equality of opportunity” for all.
Hey, Flea Partiers…”equality of outcome” is what the North Koreans have. I would love some of the stimulus money to be given to our Marxist Defecrats to have them shipped to their utopian country…North Korea on a one-way ticket.
Great last couple of posts—–but, please keep your voices down. The campers are trying to sleep it off……its hard work soiling the place where you’ll be sleeping, doing drugs all night (paid for by whom?) and engaging in sex acts with fellow neanderthals and their pets. Must have been a long night in Oakland, not only for the squaters, but for the Mayor, too. Funny how that worked out–she tried to sympathize with their cause (like her old days in Berserkley), but they chased her away. How ironic……..
Do you think that your offensive words are reflective of that employed Iraq veteran who got a skull fracture from Quan’s police force?
Peter Malloy states: “Freedom of speech DOES NOT include throwing feces and urine filled balloons at police officers who are trying to keep the event peaceful. There are no Fascists here, but I do see the writings of a couple selfish, narcissistic and immature punks who think they can do whatever they want and not follow the rules of civilized society.”
Next he’s going to claim that the Iraq veteran had a gun under his jacket and got what he deserved.
Stacey, if you were adressing me, yes, it’s entirely possible it describes him as well. After all, his is complicit in breaking the law along with the rest of the mob down there. While he probably didn’t deserve receiving a skull fracture for his efforts, had he cleared out when ordered to, he’d be upright and out protesting again today (instead of supposedly working).
@ Cary- I know exactly what I said and I stand behind each and every word, and I will say it again so You and your ilk understand. Freedom of speech is a guaranteed right, however when BIOHAZARD is packaged and thrown at police, which is confirmed, they have crossed the line and are now criminals and should dealt with swiftly and severely.
The Oakland Police Department does not deploy rubber balls or wooden dowels any longer, which is ALSO confirmed.
Cary, your inane quote, “Next he’s going to claim that the Iraq veteran had a gun under his jacket and got what he deserved” proves my point about about you and your kind as selfish, narcissistic and immature. Your types throw that type of irresponsible rhetoric out when you don’t have any serious points to argue and you know that I AM RIGHT. It’s ok, I accept your apology.
@ Stacey- YOU do not know what happened to the “That employed Iraq veteran” you are simply believing the local news channels reports of what happened. Since Oakland PD no longer uses rubber balls or wooden dowels to control violent crowds, I am left to wonder if the “Occupy-ers” are maybe lying to you and the media. I know people of character wearing blue uniforms that have been spit on and had bags of urine and feces thrown at them. Where is the media reporting of this? I guess that kind of TRUTHFUL reporting isn’t interesting to you and others.
I’ve read your contributions to the PW blogs and I think you are generally a thoughtful contributor, but this time you are simply wrong.
Watching people pretend their ignorance is strength is something of a sight. Not a pleasant one, more like a big festering nasty white capped zit about to blow into my dinner kind of sight. Personally if you want to act like a festering boil who am I to say otherwise.
You should know though. Incendiary dishonest personalities so easily hate on people that they disagree.
Peter is right. The videos of the Iraq vet going down clearly show that he was reaching for his gun which turned out to be his water pistol filled with urine. The tear gas grenade that was lobbed into the crowd that had gathered around him was actually a sleezeball protester disguised as a cop just trying to make the police look bad. And those who had gathered around the downed Iraq vet weren’t attempting to help him; rather they were all fighting to claim his last remaining balloon filled with poop. When the tear gas grenade detonated, the crowd dispersed because the balloon popped. Where is the mainstream media to tell us the real facts when we need them? I apologize, Peter.
Peter,
I know from the news reports that the man has a skull fracture from some sort of engagement with police. What was wrong about that? I never read anything about rubber bullets or wooden dowels, only that he may have gotten hit with a tear gas canister. I’m sure no one on the Oakland PD wanted something like this to happen. I don’t find fault with them. The situation in Oakland was allowed to spin out of control by Quan. Don’t you find it sickening that she now tries to distance herself from responsibility?
Steve,
Sorry for the confusion. It wasn’t your post. I disagree though with your concept that the man was breaking the law.
Peter you are the only one claiming that the protesters were throwing things and you say it is confirmed but you offer no evidence. I’ve watched many videos on Youtube and the protesters in them were peaceful. The police however can be seen throwing tear gas and stun grenades right at people who are trying to help a fallen person.
I’ve also seen pictures of the rubber bullets that people picked up at the scene and read many reports by people who were shot at with them, so I don’t believe you when you say this isn’t happening and I think it is disgraceful that you have to base your arguments on these types of unsubstantiated assertions.
Maybe these people were breaking a law. They were arrested on suspicion of domiciling without a permit. A minor local ordinance. They were attacked by riot police using stun grenades, tear gas and various projectiles shot from guns and an LRAD sound cannon that can damage hearing. There are many videos and many eye witness reports of this happening. That is a huge over reaction against peaceful protesters and sham to use a minor ordinance to deny a constitutional right to people who have serious grievances that have been ignored for years by the government and are looking to make themselves seen.
Talking about arrests how many banksters and other fraudsters were arrested as a result of the financial crisis? Oh that’s right not one! I guess they didn’t break the law, they just bought off congress and got the laws changed so that they could milk the American people for countless trillions and crash the world economy and then get a bail out and award themselves with billion dollar bonuses.
In case you haven’t noticed millions of Americans are out of work, are having their homes foreclosed and are watching our country go to ruin while our tax dollars are spent on wars and handed out to fraudsters who have gamed the economy. Do a little home work on the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act, and other laws that made financial fraud legal.
One of these days your job will be outsourced and you will be unemployed your house will be foreclosed on and you might find yourself camping in a hobo camp and be arrested by the police and find a new home in the for profit prison system and it will be okay because at least there will be law and order that that’s what really matters, right?
ProPublica has been providing great coverage of the financial crisis, from credit default swaps to Magentar and the betting against self-created bad investments to the mortgage relief scandal to the poor oversight by government.
Here’s their “cheat sheet” on what happened to those involved: http://www.propublica.org/article/cheat-sheet-whats-happened-to-the-big-players-in-the-financial-crisis
Don’t ya just love the fascist right-wingers on these posts? They moan on a daily basis about how Obama hasn’t gotten them jobs. Then they criticize the OWS protesters because they don’t have jobs.
Conclusion: Fascist right-wingers (alias: GOPers) couldn’t care less about jobs, whether people have them or not. They use joblessness as a ruse to criticize Obama; and they use jobs when criticizing jobless protesters. Hypocrites, one and all.
BTW, Mr. Police Bootlicker who says media isn’t giving the police side of the story regarding ongoing events. There are ample studies in sociology and media studies that show that in cases of police violence and/or brutality, officials — police, mayors, district attorneys — are quoted 4 times as often as witnesses, bystanders, families of brutalized, and activists.
As someone who was there(unlike the loser mayor) I watched as the protestors throw bottles,rocks and human waste at the officers when they announced the order to leave the plaza. There was a large board painted in the plaza that read “throw a rock at an officer “. This was the entertainment inside the plaza for the ” peaceful protestors. Let’s get real people there is nothing peaceful about this protest. The mayor is out of touch with reality and should start supporting the police…or the police should allow the protestors to occupy city hall and camp outside of the mayors office.
I was there too. You’re lying.
Talking about lairs Steve, says that the OPD does not use rubber bullets, but here is a picture from UPI of a protester showing his wound and holding the rubber bullet fired by OPD https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/387558_265749090127257_101911273177707_660507_1737068033_n.jpg
and here is a picture also from UPI of an OPD officer firing rubber bullets straight in to the crowd https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/305249_264820010220165_101911273177707_658084_924065961_n.jpg
OPD would like nothing better than to have these protesters labeled as violent so that they can justify their brutal action against them. This is a long standing fascistic tactic to label victims as trouble makers and blame them for causing the problems so that they can be scapegoats for those that are grabbing power. That is just what the Nazi’s did to Gypsies, Jews and Gay’s.
Steve is a supporter of Police brutality against unarmed American citizens who are peacefully exercising their right to protest, and he and Peter think that it’s okay to attack peaceful citizens with overwhelming force and to trump the constitution with petty city ordinances.
What OPD did is against their own rules of engagement and even against the rules of engagement for crowd control in Iraq and Afghanistan. OPD did not try to make this crowd go away. They surrounded them and started shooting them as close range with dangerous weapons.
Scott Olson was standing quietly holding a sign when an OPD fired a tear gas canister, designed for long distance use, right at his head at close range and cause brain damage.
This is an abuse of power and it’s no wonder that OPD has been under the scrutiny of a federal judge since 2003 and is being threatened with sanctions by that judge and has several class action lawsuits against it for brutality.
By the way I went to Oakland and to San Francisco today and checked out the scene and talked with some of the protesters and they were friendly and calm and were concerned about what is happening in this country. They were not angry or violence prone people from what I saw.
mikie leonard, you entire post above is loaded with lies, Show/quote one post I made above that even references rubber bullets. You are dillusional and just ranting to stir up sympather/support for the low lifes with nothing better to than shout trite sayings and look obnoxious and immature.
Gosh Steve did I get you and Peter mixed up. I’m sorry. You two are so alike in your disdain for people who don’t agree with you. While you may have not refereed to the rubber bullets you certainly said plenty of other things that show that you support violence by the police against peaceful protesters.
Peter says “The Oakland Police Department does not deploy rubber balls or wooden dowels any longer, which is ALSO confirmed.”
Steve says “The second amendment provides a means for dealing with anarchists…”
Which refers to the right to bear arms and implies that you want to shoot people who you don’t agree with and you call them anarchists to make them out to be trouble makers who deserve it.
Steve says in referring to Scott Olsen “After all, his is complicit in breaking the law along with the rest of the mob down there.”
Which Implies that you agree that this passive participant in the protest deserved to be shot at with a tear gas canister against the rules of engagement of OPD.
Anything else you need to me make clear Steve?
Free speech doesn’t give them the right to abuse public property which is owned and maintained by the taxpayers of Oakland. I love how the left wants the government to dictate our every move until it infringes on them.
For 24 hours I thought perhaps Mayor Quan had some backbone and was upholding her oath of office but then she apparently caved to her “superiors”.
Two legs good; four legs bad.
Let’s make this simple for the law and order crowed. Here is the wording of the First Amendment.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
The First Amendment guarantees the right to peaceably assemble and address grievances. It doesn’t say only if you have a permit or that you can only protest during certain hours. It doesn’t say that you can’t camp or that you can’t have a beard. It only specifies that you must be peaceful. That is why they are being allowed to stay.
The protesters know that violence is the only reason that the government has for breaking up their protest and they have stated that they are non-violent many times. There are however people who will lie about the violence or even commit violence in order to discredit or break up the protests.
As far as the condition of the camps, I went there and saw for myself. The camps are orderly and clean. There was no damage to any city buildings that I saw. The stories that some people are telling about the conditions are not true. They are meant to discredit the protests by making the people seem different than you.
The government is clearly scared about these protests and that is why we are seeing violence coming from the police to put them down. No one in power wants to have to face the issues that are being raised or to acknowledge the sorry state of affairs that our country is in.
Thanks, mike, I accept your apology. I am also in agreement with everything you mentioned in your previous post. Except for one clarification…I don’t want to shoot the anarchists, that’s what we expect the police to do. Thanks to the former leftist sympathizer Quan for stepping up to the plate and letting the police take control of the chaos that is disrupting small business’s downtown.
I must admit that I admire the Occupy demonstrators. The marchers are mostly peaceful. A few troublemakers but not many.
I enjoyed that Mayor Quan was booed away!
The job is too much for her…please leave!