Disregard for Oakland in Occupy, other protestsBy Chip Johnson
San Francisco Chronicle
November 8, 2011
If Occupy Oakland activists encamped outside City Hall want to be recognized as a sovereign government, the first order of business should be to stop acting like a rogue nation-state.
And the first step toward legitimacy for any nation, real or Play-Doh, is to denounce violence within its own ranks. So far, the General Assembly that determines Occupy Oakland's actions has not done that.
Right now,
the structure of camp governance resembles the recently toppled North African nation of Libya more than a politically correct utopian world.
Consider the group's actions since it set up camp almost one month ago.
It has refused to negotiate with a neighboring government (City Hall), bullied and barred news media representatives, denied access to public safety workers and unwittingly provided safe haven to people trying to avoid police. There have been two demonstrations that have turned violent, and darn near every business and building within bottle-tossing distance of the camp at the plaza has been vandalized or sprayed with graffiti.
For any protester or supporter who claims city officials have failed to control the actions of Oakland police officers on the street, there is a parallel: Activists have failed to exert control over the violent, fringe groups that have embedded themselves within the crowds. And the most violent among them have damaged businesses again and again.
Each time it has happened, people are injured - some seriously - local businesses are jeopardized, and the city's image reels from yet another low blow.
The impact of the Occupy controversy has left Oakland Mayor Jean Quan so weak-kneed and dazed that she thinks its 1968 all over again.
Many Oakland residents, including me, overwhelmingly support the aim of the Occupy Wall Street movement that has swept the nation and the world. But no Oakland residents in their right minds are going to stand by and cheer the destruction of their own city.
That sentiment led to a rare broad agreement last week of the Oakland City Council, whose members can't seem to reach consensus on the color of grass. Councilwoman Pat Kernighan, perhaps the council's most soft-spoken voice, erupted in emotion, pointing out that corporate America has little interest in Oakland's fortunes and that Oakland residents are weary of political wars being played out on their streets. Councilwoman Desley Brooks endorsed Kernighan's words, and that's unheard of.
It was both heartwarming and as rare as a solar eclipse to watch Oakland's elected officials finally stand up for all the people who live and work here.
By the end of the five-hour meeting, even Quan had switched horses midstream again, talking about business losses caused by the occupation.
Last week's vandalism and violence marks the fifth time in 16 months that street demonstrations in Oakland ended badly. And, just as before, nearly 2 out of 3 protesters arrested in the ensuing police sweeps aren't even Oakland residents.
All of these things make some of us locals think that the only constant in all of the demonstrations is a complete disregard for our city, its people and its future.
Read more:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/07/BATD1LRODN.DTL#ixzz1dLdfyj5U
