Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Alameda Labor Council Decries Eviction of Occupy Oakland Demonstrators
Politics / Occupy Rachel Swan — Tue, Oct 25, 2011 at 1:09 PM
It's now fair to say that Mayor Jean Quan faces opposition on all sides. This morning the Alameda Labor Council issued a press release condemning the 5 a.m. police raid of Occupy Oakland, an encampment that thrived for two weeks outside of City Hall. The Labor Council criticized Quan and the city council for using city funds to bankroll the intricate tent-breaking operation, which required units from multiple counties and resulted in 85 arrests. The city said it had no choice but to shut down the tent city because of public-health problems (previous reports cited rodents and drug use), but the Labor Council called it an expensive and unnecessary action, intended solely to "silence the voices of the people." As the organization's executive secretary treasurer Josie Camacho wrote, "In a nation where 25 million people are out of work; where 50 million people have no access to health care; where one in five children grow up in poverty without adequate access to food, clothing and shelter; where funding for public education is gutted; where infrastructure is left to decay; and where millions of Americans have lost their homes due to foreclosure, this outrageous act to silence the voices of the protesters puts Mayor Quan and the City Council on the wrong side of history."
Whether or not Occupy Oakland was an effective way to address, let alone change, larger infrastructural problems remains a point of contention, given that the protest garnered a lot of bad press and became a favorite target for right-wing provocateurs. That said, it's a pretty big deal that labor, which has traditionally supported Quan, is now criticizing her move.
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I notice you didn't say "one big HAPPY family." LOL
I never understood what Quan's supporters saw in her. I was shocked when she announced her candidacy, after driving the school system into bankruptcy and then immediately screwing things up as the city's finance manager. I assumed she had zero chance of getting elected. But I was wrong. Neighbors on my very block had "Quan for Mayor" signs on their lawns. They had no idea what they were getting into.
That's Oakland for you. One big family, and this Quan supporter is pretty unhappy with her right now.
To the nurses: Here's a quote from the Chron story. Regardless of how Quan handled it (and I agree she mishandled it, as she mishandles nearly everything), be aware that Occupy Oakland bears little resemblance to its peaceful cousins throughout the nation. From the Chron:
"Some protesters who avoided conflict and wanted to show their support for the Occupy Wall Street movement were displeased by the violent turns.
'They didn't have to force police into that situation,' said Helen Walker, 46, a nurse from Albany. 'It was totally provoked, and if I could have, I would have stopped those idiots from throwing paint.'"
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?…
@formerQuansupporter, I'm with you. The one thing that can be said with certainty about this entire incident is that Quan mishandled it.
Kudos to the Alameda Labor Council for speaking truth to power! The actions of Mayor Quan and her police force are simply disgraceful.
The mayor has massively mishandled this situation. Quan should have met directly with the protesters to address the city's concerns and work out a resolution -- even Dellums personally addressed the Oscar Grant protesters -- but instead, she has wasted taxpayer dollars with a needless shock and awe display of police force.
What's disgraceful is that she didn't shut down this charade of a "protest" sooner. This is not Occupy Wall St. This is not even Occupy SF. This is their ugly sister, the Oakland version.
The actions the Mayor took today are disgraceful. Instead of a peaceful occupation she has turned Oakland into a police state. Occupy Oakland and the 99% will continue to grow.
"The city said it had no choice but to shut down the tent city because of public-health problems (previous reports cited rodents and drug use)"
So, Oakland never had rats or drugs until the Occupy folks showed up?
Let me get this straight. Josie Camacho, a former staffer in the previous train wreck of a mayor's office (Dellums), takes over as executive secretary treasurer of the Labor Council from Sharon Cornu. Cornu goes to work as a staffer in the current train wreck of a mayor's office (Quan). Now, Camacho flings poo back at the Mayor's Office. The circle is complete. As the world turns...
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