A GENERAL STRIKE IS BEING CALLED FOR
NOVEMBER 2, 2011
GENERAL STRIKE & MASS DAY OF ACTION – NOVEMBER 2
October 27, 2011 Here is the website for Occupy Oakland
Liberate Oakland, Shut Down the 1%
GENERAL STRIKE & MASS DAY OF ACTION
Wednesday November 2, 2011
GENERAL STRIKE & MASS DAY OF ACTION
Wednesday November 2, 2011
PROPOSAL:
We as fellow occupiers of Oscar Grant Plaza propose that on Wednesday November 2, 2011, we liberate Oakland and shut down the 1%.
We propose a city wide general strike and we propose we invite all students to walk out of school. Instead of workers going to work and students going to school, the people will converge on downtown Oakland to shut down the city.
All banks and corporations should close down for the day or we will march on them.
While we are calling for a general strike, we are also calling for much more. People who organize out of their neighborhoods, schools, community organizations, affinity groups, workplaces and families are encouraged to self organize in a way that allows them to participate in shutting down the city in whatever manner they are comfortable with and capable of.
The whole world is watching Oakland. Let’s show them what is possible.
The Strike Coordinating Council will begin meeting everyday at 5pm in Oscar Grant Plaza before the daily General Assembly at 7pm. All strike participants are invited. Stay tuned for much more information and see you next Wednesday.
Friday, October 28, 2011 |
(10-28) 11:57 PDT OAKLAND -- Oakland Mayor Jean Quan was booed off the stage by Occupy Oakland protesters Thursday night as she tried to speak at their general assembly.
Quan was standing in line to speak at the forum on Frank Ogawa Plaza around 11 p.m. when the group began booing and chanting, "Go away."
Quan, who has taken heat for the police action Tuesday night in which officers fired tear gas at Occupy protesters, walked into City Hall without saying anything.
Police removed demonstrators from the plaza outside City Hall early Tuesday with relatively little trouble, only to launch tear gas and seriously injure one demonstrator when protesters returned that evening. Police officials said they had acted in response to instances of protesters throwing objects and paint at officers.
The clash attracted international attention, and Quan, who was in Washington, D.C., on a lobbying trip when it happened, was criticized for saying she hadn't known exactly when police were going to clear out the Occupy camp.
In a video message she posted on her Facebook page, Quan said she was "deeply saddened about the outcome" Tuesday night. "It was not what anyone hoped for, ultimately it was my responsibility, and I apologize for what happened."
She added, "When there's violence, there are no winners - it polarizes us and opens old wounds."
Quan recorded the message Thursday night in City Hall, before her attempt to address Occupy Oakland directly. Chants and cheers from the demonstrators could be heard in the background.
The mayor added, "We're asking you, again, not to camp overnight," and said protesters needed to keep the plaza clean and open to public safety workers.
Quan told KQED-FM that she had posted the message on Facebook because she didn't think she'd be able to speak at the rally.
The mayor's failed attempt to address the crowd came at the end of a day in which Occupy Oakland protesters reclaimed the battleground plaza at 14th Street and Broadway. City officials had said they would not allow people in the plaza between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., but the dozens of people who pitched tents there Thursday slept overnight undisturbed by police.
Protesters resurrected the camp's "Kid Zone" and planned to bring back its kitchen and medical tent. As the day wore on, they danced, received acupuncture and massage treatments and talked about plans for a citywide strike Wednesday.
Many said Tuesday morning's raid on the camp had hardened their resolve to live in the plaza as part of the worldwide Occupy Wall Street movement.
"That's what this whole thing is about - occupying public space," said Josh Chavanne, 29, of Oakland, one of several people who have moved back into the plaza. "We're here because many of us believe it is our right as human beings to decolonize property."
But the rebuilding effort - and the lack of immediate action by the city - frustrated some officials who warned that allowing demonstrators to dig in again would lead to inevitable conflict.
"We can't just be observers," said City Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente, who said downtown businesses had lost money since the occupation began Oct. 10. "We have to enforce the rules and the laws for everyone. Unfortunately, I don't think the mayor and some other people agree with that, and so here we are."
De La Fuente said he agreed with the Occupy movement's pursuit of economic equality, but added, "I do not support doing it at the expense of other people and violating other people's rights."
City officials said they were assessing what to do about the fledgling rebuilding effort, but declined to speculate on what would happen if the camp returns in full flower.
"Right now, as long as it's nonviolent, the plan is to let a peaceful protest take place," said Sgt. Jeff Thomason, a police spokesman.
Chronicle staff writer Justin Berton contributed to this report.
E-mail the writers at wkane@sfchronicle.com and dbulwa@sfchronicle.com.
Occupy Oakland: Iraq war veteran in critical condition after police clashes
Adam GabbattScott Olsen, 24, in hospital with fractured skull and brain swelling after allegedly being hit by a police projectile in Oakland. Guardian.co.uk 11-26-11
An Iraq war veteran has a fractured skull and brain swelling after allegedly being hit by a police projectile.
Scott Olsen is in a "critical condition" in Highland hospital in Oakland, a hospital spokesman confirmed.
Olsen, 24, suffered the head injury during protests in Oakland on Tuesday evening. More than 15 people were arrested after a crowd gathered to demonstrate against the police operation to clear twoOccupy Oakland camps in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Jay Finneburgh, a photographer who was covering the protest, published pictures of Olsen lying on the ground.
"This poor guy was right behind me when he was hit in the head with a police projectile. He went down hard and did not get up," Finneburgh wrote.
Olsen was taken to Highland by fellow protesters.
The Guardian spoke to people with Olsen at the hospital. Adele Carpenter, who knows Olsen through his involvement with anti-war groups, said she arrived at the hospital at 11pm on Tuesday night.
Carpenter said she was told by a doctor at the hospital that Olsen had a skull fracture and was in a "serious but stable" condition. She said he had been sedated and was unconscious.
"I'm just absolutely devastated that someone who did two tours of Iraq and came home safely is now lying in a US hospital because of the domestic police force," Carpenter said.
Olsen had only moved to Oakland in July, Carpenter said. He is a member of Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War, and met Carpenter through her work with the civilian soldier alliance.
Keith Shannon, who served with Olsen in Iraq, arrived at the hospital after protesters contacted him through Facebook. He confirmed Olsen had a fractured skull, and said he had been told by a doctor Olsen also had brain swelling.
A neurosurgeon was due to assess Olsen to determine if he needed surgery, Shannon said.
"It's really hard," Shannon said. "I really wish I had gone out with him instead of staying home last night."
Shannon, who is also 24, said he had seen the video footage showing Olsen lying on the floor as a police officer throws an explosive device near him.
"It's terrible to go over to Iraq twice and come back injured, and then get injured by the police that are supposed to be protecting us," he said.
He said Olsen had served two tours of Iraq, in 2006 and 2007. Olsen was in 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines with Shannon before leaving the military in 2010.
He moved to the San Francisco area in July and works for Opswat, a software company, living with Shannon in Daly City, just south of San Francisco.
Shannon said Olsen was hit in the head by a tear gas canister or smoke canister shot by a police officer. He said Olsen had a curved scar on his forehead consistent with a canister.
Protesters who had accompanied Olsen to Highland hospital got in touch with Shannon through Facebook, after Olsen said he lived with someone called "Keith". Shannon said he was told Olsen was unable to say his surname.
Olsen is originally from Wisconsin and some of his family were planning to fly out to California to be with him, Shannon said.
Video footage published to YouTube shows Olsen lying prone in front of a line of police. Around 10 people gather around him in an apparent attempt to provide aid, before a police officer throws an explosive device into their midst, scattering the group.
Footage captured after the explosion, which appears to be from a flash bang grenade, shows Olsen being carried away by a group of people.
Oakland police confirmed at a press conference that they used tear gas and baton rounds, but said they did not use flash bang grenades. Police could not be immediately reached for comment.
(http://eye-on-washington.blogspot.com)
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