Thursday, November 10, 2011

Thursday Must Read: Councilmembers Shouted Down by Occupy Oakland Protesters; Police Clash with Occupy Cal

Politics / Law Enforcement & Crime / Occupy Robert Gammon — Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 6:55 AM

Stories you shouldn’t miss:

1. Occupy Oakland protesters shouted down five city councilmembers yesterday after the politicians called for the City Hall encampment to be cleared by police, the Trib and Chron report. The incident occurred at the Lake Merritt bandstand. At the same time, Mayor Quan visited the encampment and said she told protesters that they needed to leave. In a statement, Quan also said she wants to work with councilmembers on a plan to move the encampment without anyone getting hurt. The occupiers, however, have made it clear that they intend to stay.

2. UC Berkeley police, meanwhile, clashed violently with students and faculty who attempted to establish an Occupy encampment on campus, the Chron and Trib report. Wielding batons and firing bean bags, police arrested several people and twice cut down tents that protesters had erected.

3. The clash at Cal came after the Berkeley City Council voted on Tuesday night to order Berkeley police to not work with UC police in Occupy incidents, the Berkeley Voice reports. The council also voted to order Berkeley police to not assist Oakland in Occupy incidents. The council cited allegations of police brutality and harsh tactics in Oakland and on campus as to why Berkeley police should not be involved.

4. Veteran activist Van Jones urged older progressives to become more involved in the Occupy movement and to help the younger generation of activists who are leading it, the Trib reports. Jones, who founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and was President Obama’s green jobs czar, gave his speech at Humanist Hall in Oakland.

5. Emeryville voters broke up part of the old guard on the city council, electing newcomer Jacqueline Asher to the panel, the Trib reports. Asher defeated longtime incumbent Ken Bukowski, whose political career has been marred by scandal.

6. And San Francisco voters elected Ed Lee as mayor of their city, the Chron reports. Lee, a moderate who had been appointed mayor in January, won in a ranked choice election with 61 percent of the vote, defeating second-place finisher John Avalos, a progressive.

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America used to work. The people had work. The system worked. Hey, EVEN the Congress used to work...(sometimes). God knows, it was far, far, far from perfect - but at least we all had some share in the struggles AND the rewards. But somewhere along the way, we lost our way. And now we seem to have an economy and a political system that works only for the rich. What they call "trickle down economics"... just leaves most of us out in the cold cold rain. We need to get back to what America was, and what it should be, and what it can be. Occupy Wall Street is no longer just a place called Zuccotti Park - Zuccotti Park is everywhere. You can try to pen us in, you can beat us and arrest us, you can mace and tear-gas us , and you can try to "permit" us to death....but you can't kill an idea. You can't keep down a people’s hopes and dreams for a better life.....a life with dignity and freedom....for us... for our kids. More power to Occupy Wall Street, as it spreads to every town and city - because OWS is us, and for us, and by us. It comes up from the grassroots, and it lifts us up in turn. With OWS America has found it’s voice, and that voice demands fairness and justice. This land IS our land! AND WE WANT IT BACK! ...We want our lives back!... We want our future back! ....So why not take some time, find a quiet place somewhere, and consider this: Each of us has only one brief life...one chance...and many choices. It’s time to choose...and to act. If not now...then when? If not you, then... who? You DO have the power my friend....and the choice is yours.

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