Things are getting very interesting in Oakland

Correction: The Oakland Longshoreman have not agree to participate in the national strike but do support the goals of Occupy Oakland.

Today is the day for a planned general strike in Oakland – the first of its kind since 1946. Occupy Oakland is calling on workers in the city to stay home today – and join in on a march to shut down the Port of Oakland – the nation’s fifth busiest port. The Oakland Longshoreman agreed to participate in the strike – as well as several labor unions – and a number of schools across the city are also planning to shut down.

City officials wrote a letter to Oakland business owners encouraging them to deadbolt their doors to prepare for the general strike. And Oakland mayor Jean Quan gave the go-ahead for public employees to stay home from work and participate in the strike too. But Mayor Quan also has a mutiny on her hands, as Oakland police released an open letter to the mayor yesterday criticizing her actions in the crackdown against Occupy Oakland that left an Iraq War veteran in the hospital with brain damage. In the letter – the police say they are “confused” by the mixed signals she is sending both to the police and the demonstrators.

Things are getting very interesting in Oakland.

Comments

stonesphear's picture
stonesphear 11 years 20 weeks ago
#1

So will the 1% supporters ignore this or ridicule it ?

No doubt mass media will provide an extensive fair and balanced thorough report on Michael Jackson"s Doctors situation today.

DRichards's picture
DRichards 11 years 20 weeks ago
#2

If the “Occupy” Movement and Tea Party Join Together, We Can End the Malignant Partnership Between Big Government and Big Corporations Which Is Destroying AmericaPosted on October 20, 2011 by WashingtonsBlog

If the “Occupy” Movement and Real Tea Party Join Together, We Can Save America Mike Krieger writes today: The reason the liberal mainstream corporate media demonized the Tea Party is because it threatens the status quo. The reason the conservative … Continue reading →

http://www.washingtonsblog.com

Brog's picture
Brog 11 years 20 weeks ago
#3

The Oakland Police Department has been at war with the citizens for decades.The spokesperson fir the Officers Association challenged Thom by saying what would you do differently? Why is it not obvious to him? How about brining in trash collection suppliess and the means to eliminate the unsanitary conditions and enlist the demonstrators in correcting the perceived public health concerns. Don't show up with a large number of police in riot gear and begin to enclose the crowd threaten the public in an intimidating manner. Bring a cannon to a fist fight and how will it come out. Bring tear gas and flash grenade to a non violent demonstration and how does it come out? The spokespersons say that 7 offcers were injured. What type of injuries? A scratch, a bruise, a cut are all injuries but not all the same. Where did the rocks come from in this downtown urban area? A water bottle was thrown but did it have water in it? I never wish harm to the peace officers but did the "peace" officers show up. I have never wished harm to those officers that put their lives on the line to protect the community but the officers did not arrive dressed to protect the citizens. . In the war zone in Oakland protecting the citizens of the communities is frequently lost in the moment. Especially when there are trigger happy participant faced with persons who are face to face with identified law breakers.

I believe that it was a Police Officers Association that paid for the defense of Johannes Mehserle who assualted and killed Oscar Grant in part to avoid liability for officers everywhere. Johannes Mehserle did not have the training or skills to differentiate between a taser and a gun or the time and place for use of either. I understand that Johannes Mehserle was not an Oakland Police Officer but the situation is reflective of the greater chasm between the citizens of Oakland and those hired to protect the established order and defend the power structure.

Palindromedary's picture
Palindromedary 11 years 20 weeks ago
#4

If the Occupy Wall Street and the Tea baggers join together you will have a weakened Occupy Wall Street. The Tea Baggers are run by the Kochs and other ruling elite. The Tea Baggers, like Americans Elect, are groups that try to make you believe that they are "for the people" but they are for the ruling elite. Occupy Wall Street doesn't need any help from a bunch of idiots gushing right-wing ideals.

Palindromedary's picture
Palindromedary 11 years 20 weeks ago
#5

I read that blog at Washington's Blog where Mike Krieger wrote his article saying that the TP and OWS should join. And, obviously, I disagree; and, this reply to that article by Ford Prefect is worthwhile reading.

Ford Prefect says:
October 21, 2011 at 5:45 pm

While I’m sure OWS can peel off a number of TP supporters, the actual TP itself is beholden to various institutional concerns that will actively sabotage any potential relationship to OWS.

Just look at the Venn Diagram above. On the OWS side, you see a collection of small-d democratic constituencies–and they’ve locked out the Democratic Party. On the TP side, you see corporations, the GOP and all the problematic institutions that have done so much damage to this country over the last few decades. Given the top-down hierarchical nature of the TP, how does one find “common ground” with such a group? They will insist on control of the agenda, for their own purposes. They will also insist OWS give up any notions of justice or eliminating corruption, for starters.

It also happens to be the case their agenda is the exact opposite of OWS’s. They say they hate bailouts, but how much banking money lies in their coffers? Their media outlets are all saying, “If you don’t have a job, it’s YOUR FAULT. Don’t blame Wall Street, blame the Kenyan interloper instead.”

If anything, I would expect OWS to draw some people away from the TP, which is why their leadership is so openly hostile to OWS, for the most part. CNN and Fox have to attack OWS to keep TPers from bolting. The Kochs et al are probably rather worried about an exodus from their ranks, so they have to maintain conflict with OWS. They’ve no doubt seen the polls, which show the TP is seriously unpopular.

Where is the middle ground between small-d democratic constituencies and Right-Wing Authoritarianism? Perhaps given a better alternative, some TPers will bolt, because they aren’t really Right-Wing Authoritarian Followers. This seems to be happening in Boston, for example.

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/10/if-the-occupy-movement-and-tea-pa...

Palindromedary's picture
Palindromedary 11 years 20 weeks ago
#6

Oh, and no doubt the news media will be filled with re-run after re-run of Lindsay Lohan's jail sentencing. And that's a big DUH! I kept thinking, when I watched part of it, that Gee, how nice that judge is talking to her and compared it to how the judge would have been talking to some not so fortunate or well stationed in the socio-economic stratum common drug abuser...or violator of previous court ordered dictates.

Maybe Saturday Night Live should do a skit showing a lowly peon user being talked to so nicely during sentencing and cameras rolling outside with a reporter telling how the black beat up toyota pulls away from the courthouse transporting the poor derelict drug abuser. But then, I'd probably miss it because I haven't watched Saturday Night Live since about the 70s when Gilda Radner and that crowd were starring in it.

rosiern 11 years 20 weeks ago
#7

The police are at fault here. There are no excuses for their gestapo like behavior.I believe they received very clear instructions on just how far they should go. The police chief would have given them their "pep" talk. My question is: who gave the orders and money to the police chief? I do not believe their behavior was spontanious. Just as in the riots in Chicago were staged with plain clothes police, who were instructed how to incite the crowd, I think it was much the same in Oakland.

leighmf's picture
leighmf 11 years 20 weeks ago
#8

I hear Oakland is kind of a rough town to begin with.

dowdotica's picture
dowdotica 11 years 20 weeks ago
#9

if the cops are confused by the mayor just imagine how confused our armed forces might be if herman cain became presidt! yuk,yuk,yuk!lolol

bobbler's picture
bobbler 11 years 20 weeks ago
#10

"SP say 7 offcers were injured.."

Maybe that cat scratched the officer in the picture.. I never could figure out what the cop petting the cat had to do with OWS though.. Talk about making the news V/S reporting it!

what now toons's picture
what now toons 11 years 20 weeks ago
#11

A general strike, yessssssssssssssssssssssssss! Go Oakland, lead by example. Money is what the 1% understands, and denying them their most precious is, well, precious. They had their chance with trickle down economics to shower us with their gratitude, now it's time to turn back the clock to economic systems that worked before the rise of supply side economics!. My latest cartoon is about the 1%'s stellar economic rise at the expense of the 99%. www.whatnowtoons.com Left of center political cartoons

Opall's picture
Opall 11 years 20 weeks ago
#12

Not a good idea, in my opinion. The tea party is strongly tied to the Republican party and corporate sponsors through organizations like Americans for Prosperity and Freedomworks. Tea party politicians in Congress have stressed their pro-corporate and anti-regulatory, trickle down economic stances. They do not believe in greater taxation of the already wealthy. Those seem pretty much the opposite of what OWS is seeking. In the event that individuals who actually agree with the ideas of OWS also have some sentiments with the tea party, they certainly should be welcomed into OWS, but should not try to bring the pro-corporate, anti-regulatory, trickle-down, anti-tax-of-the-wealthy ideas with them.

George Reiter's picture
George Reiter 11 years 20 weeks ago
#13

Strikes and shut downs are the last infuriating expressions of despair. I feel that the Own Oakland will balloon towards change. What else do we the oppressed have to offer?

When I was in business school working towards my B.S. Degree in the late 1960’s, I was required to take a course in Ethics and Morality. There are happenings today that I see which go way beyond the common accepted code of Ethics and Morality.

And, I suggest to those 1% persons who are burdening the rest of us to read Matthew 25 in the New Testament Bible…

jkh6148's picture
jkh6148 11 years 20 weeks ago
#14

THIS month businesses of all sorts are gearing up for the after THANKSGIVING CHRISTMAS sales.

LETS consider a CHRISTMAS strike against big business. CHRISTMAS for kids only.

GIVE yourself a CHRISTMAS present by using the money normally spent on CHRISTMAS presents toward an extra credit card payment or car payment.

BUSINESSES will be overstocked and after CHRISTMAS will have major markdowns.

Darryl56 11 years 20 weeks ago
#15

I have just read this article by a past Prime Minister/ Treasurer of Australia Mr. Paul Keating. I thought some of you might find it interesting. It is from the "Brisbane Times Newspaper" 3rd November, 2011 . Here are his comments on occupy Wall Street: " Mr Keating also weighed in on the anti-corporate-greed Occupy Wall Street movement, which has spawned spin-offs around the world but has been accused of lacking clear goals.

He said his only surprise was that such protests in the United States had not appeared earlier, for example at the height of the global financial crisis in 2008.

"In the United States between 1990 and today, real wages have not increased, whereas in Australia real wages have increased by 36 per cent," he said.

"If you were in the Democratic Party in America you would hang your head in shame [at the lack of progress]."

Mr Keating appeared at the Brisbane Writers Festival event to promote his new book, After Words: The Post-Prime Ministerial Speeches.

Kenn Space's picture
Kenn Space 11 years 19 weeks ago
#16

There is something going on. I am going to be a part of it. I was at the WTO protests in Seattle when a bunch of anarchists started busting windows with crowbars. We surrounded them and they got in a circle with their crowbars. I tried to get the Seattle police to come arrest these people that were thirty feet away and threatening violence and breaking windows... The Seattle police would not budge from their "police line", making all of us the enemy. The Corporate Occupation of the United States Our corporate controlled government (through corporate lobbying and election funding ) is out of the peoples control. People want government control back. Makes sense to me... I feel US corporate capitalism (corporatism) is a type of economic fascism: To have a corporate being where the chain of command eventually muddles all responsibility to any human being. These corporate beings are running your life and controlling your government. (Enough to really make an individual mad and protest.) The corporate being does not exist, and when it comes to face it's corporate responsibility, it is a piece of paper. That is plain and simply wrong. Restore capitalism to individual responsible chains of command, or this struggle will be lost. (This also includes corporate lobbying and corporate election funding, being outlawed; and a new form closer to individual control is established.) Please Sign the petition to amend the Constitution for revoking corporate personhood at: movetoamend.org I feel this will be a bigger day in history for the US than WTO in Seattle: January 20, 2012 – Move to Amend Occupies the Courts! Move To Amend is planning bold action to mark this
date — Occupy the Courts — a one day occupation
on Friday January 20, 2012, of the Federal Courts, including
the Supreme Court of the United States and as many of the
89 U.S. District Court Buildings as we can. Inspired by Dr. Cornell
West, who was arrested on the steps of the Supreme Court last
month, Move to Amend will lead the charge on the judiciary which
created — and continues to expand — corporate personhood rights. http://open.salon.com/blog/kennspace/2011/10/...

Joe Phillips LCSW's picture
Joe Phillips LCSW 11 years 19 weeks ago
#17

I am so frustrated right now. I'm a social worker, a writer, and a policy academic by training. On one hand my natural inclination is to warn the movement to be very careful to keep a non-violent image. I would remind people that sometimes mass movements start out progressive and populist and end up going to the extreme right. I am presently reading the history of the rise of Fascism in Italy. Hitler bombed the German government, blamed it on the left and used the subsequent popular anger to take power. I want the movement to resist violence. I'm conflicted on rejecting the big tent strategy though. This is where we tell them to stop trying to please everybody and get rid of the Ron Paul folks etc. This is where we tell them to stop waiting for a reform mode that all sides can sign on to, but forgive me, I am the writer that is sitting on just such a model. My Firewall Economics is designed to provide a good guaranteed safety net for everybody and still give the speculating capitalists plenty of markets to exploit. Socialism for necessities and capitalism for luxuries. If there is a model that can satisfy the movement's insistence on consensus then this is it. I'm frustrated because their justifiably rational fear of having their movement diverted discourages me and others who have legitimate models for reform from approaching them with proposals.

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