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Occupy Oakland defies vacate orders
OAKLAND, Calif. — Hundreds of anti-Wall Street protesters defiantly remained at their campsite outside Oakland's City Hall early Saturday, despite a city order to vacate.
As the 10 p.m. time of the city's ultimatum passed Friday night, Occupy Oakland demonstrators showed no signs of departing as music blasted from the plaza. More protesters arrived with tents as midnight approached.
Earlier, city spokeswoman Karen Boyd said that Oakland gave official notice that the protesters do not have permission to remain overnight and that their encampment is breaking the law. She would not comment on what steps the city would take toward enforcing of the law.
Special section: The "Occupy" movement
There was no indication of significant police presence early Saturday. A lone Oakland police cruiser seen passing the site around 11:30 p.m. was greeted with waves from protesters.
Many protesters said they have no intentions of leaving even though the city announced Thursday that it can no longer ensure public health and safety at the site.
"I'm not going anywhere. They're going to have to come and take me away," said Christopher Dunlap, 23, who said he has been on the City Hall lawn since the first day of the encampment.
Several cities in the United States and around the world have arrested anti-Wall Street protesters who have failed to leave public areas.
While Oakland said it will no longer allow protesters to stay at the site overnight, they can demonstrate there from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Boyd said.
Protester Gerry Johnson, 55, who said he has been at the site for more than a week said it's unlikely his fellow demonstrators will leave.
"I'm trying to keep calm," Johnson said. "We're here for a good cause. I think we'll stand our ground."
The encampment has quickly grown from a few dozen tents to more than 150, causing overcrowding and tension. Some protesters moved to another site across town.
Oakland officials had said the city was committed to allowing free speech and let protesters camp on the City Hall plaza as Mayor Jean Quan proclaimed on Wednesday that sometimes "democracy is messy.
By the next day, however, the city cited an increasing rat problem, repeated requests for protesters to remove fire hazards, then public urination and acts of violence also as reasons for them to pack up and go.
Boyd said the group cooperated in the beginning, but things had changed as they "exceeded their ability to address public health and safety issues."
"We have been very clear about the expectations," Boyd said. "It has gotten to a point where individuals can no longer maintain the plaza. It's deteriorated to the point where we needed to take strong action."
The vacate notice didn't sit well with protesters. Since their arrival, they have created a 24-hour kitchen, complete with pots, pans and a stove as well as areas for health and child care.
And despite not having a clear leader, several organizers gather daily for "general assembly" meetings and say they have activities planned outside City Hall through next week.
"We've already curbed two problems in downtown Oakland: we've solved hunger and we've solved homelessness," Shake Anderson, an organizer, said Friday. "No one is here to destroy anything ... We're not breaking any laws."
On Friday, Oakland Interim Deputy Fire Chief Lisa Baker toured the perimeter of the site after saying firefighters were threatened and harassed while responding to three 911 calls Thursday.
"Can I talk to your president? Who's in charge?" Baker asked.
Robin Woods, an Oakland Occupy member, replied, "We don't have one. This is a leaderless movement."
Baker said, "Look, we're not trying to be confrontational, but if someone calls 911, they will get the care and service that we provide."
Baker urged Woods to pass along her thoughts to organizers. The two shook hands.
Anderson, a protest organizer, said that he hopes the city doesn't try to take down the community built by demonstrators.
"This has no corporate ties. This is all public, all people, that's why this is a threat," Anderson said. "This is a peaceful assembly, so therefore if you want to violently come in here, what does that say about America?"
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The elected officials need to get off their butts and lead in the Class War against the robber barons, that's all.
Fleabaggers, please curb your fellow pooping fleabaggers!
Thank You
Again you guys are attacking the messengers and ignoring the message.
Really now, protesting without a lawful permit....that's funny, because its' a constitutional right no permit needed or required. Only those who seek to take your rights away would require such a thing...sort of reminds me of what china did to the protesters at the Olympics.
As for the littering, the organizers of the event have been able to maintain the park, brought in both food service and sanitation facilities.
The only ones making trouble are the everyday troublemakers not affiliated with the protest.
Your attacks are baseless, and familiar with strike breaking.
There is a picture of a protester in today's CBS photo gallery holding a sign thast says 1 CEO = 220 teachers. Lets put this in perspective. Teachers are important but they aren't CEOs. Steve Jobs of Apple Computer ran a company that, in the first quarter of 2011, had 6 billion in net profit for the quarter. Further, Apple employs 49,000 people. Many superintendents of schools earn $250,000 or more per year which is considerably more than a techer earns. They are also responsible for hundres of teachers and thousands of students.
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) introduced H.R.1489, the Return to Prudent Banking Act of 2011.
Unsurprisingly, the bill's 36 co-sponsors include several members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Obama's Keynsian economic guru, Larry Summers, was the keynote speaker at the Soros-sponsored Bretton Woods II economic summit
Larry Summers served as U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Clinton and was a primary architect of repealing the Glass Steagall Act which prevented commercial banks from also being investment banks and insurance agencies all rolled into one.
Most reliable economists credit Summer's repeal of Glass Stegall as being a cause the current economic crisis.
Larry Summers also pushed for the deregulation of derivatives which without a doubt were THE major cause of the world wide current economic crisis.
Now George Soros and Larry Summers are going to save the global financial system? With friends like these, the world economy doesn't need enemies.
The General Assembly of New York City also wants to "reboot the system, rewrite the constitution, recuse a system of government employed by the rich for the rich."
Although billing itself as a "global revolution," the meaning here is clear. "They" want a new constitution, perhaps along the lines of the Second Bill of Rights proposed by FDR and pushed by Obama's regulatory czar, Cass Sunstein, and a group called Constitution 2020.
As Klein subsequently discovered, the 2005 conference was funded by George Soros and the Soros-supported Center for American Progress.
Khatib ends The General Assembly of New York City "demands" piece with a bit of a delusion: "It is time to take back our lives."
From whom?
Surely, Khatib does not mean George Soros and His Merry Band of Men?
Govt is not the solution,freedom and Liberty is.
This might have "started" as a protest but has just degenerated into a 1960s type bunch of hippie events. Are these people also losing their expensive techie equipment to the thieves in their midst as is happening in other OWS venues?