The City of Oakland released a statement set of lies today in response to Occupy Oakland's planned weekend activities and the unsavory (to the City Government) fact that Occupy Oakland dares to still exist. I claim to speak for no one but myself. Nonetheless, here is my response, lie to truth, one by one.
City Prepared for Occupy Oakland Protest Saturday
City Leaders Call on Community to Get Involved in Productive
Programs to Address Social Needs; OPD Prepared to Deter Unlawful Activity
If OPD was really prepared to deter unlawful activity, they would have to handcuff each other.
Oakland, CA: Occupy Oakland protesters have announced their intent to occupy a large, vacant building in an undisclosed location in downtown Oakland tomorrow, without the permission of the owner.
The 'owner' is the people of Oakland. Who are sick and tired of seeing their property sit idle and empty while Oakland citizens are homeless or are being foreclosed on, soon to be homeless.
At their General Assembly meetings and through other communications, they have acknowledged that this activity is illegal.
The suffragettes, Rosa Parks and the lunch-counter Occupiers acknowledged that their activities were illegal, also. What was your point again?
The City of Oakland welcomes peaceful forms of assembly and free speech;
The City of Oakland has tear-gassed peaceful protesters, nearly killed a peaceful protester or two, or three, beaten peaceful protesters, arrested peaceful protesters on trumped up and false charges, interfered again and again with the people's right to peacefully assemble, has arrested journalists, has targeted journalists for arrest, has prevented the free exercise of religion on Oscar Grant plaza, and has violated the free speech rights of its citzens by preventing them from attending City Council meetings.
In fact, the City of Oakland has violated every single clause of the 1st amendment, along with the 4th amendment, the 5th amendment's prohibition against the taking of property with due process, and the 8th amendment's prohibition against excessive bail.
however, social media sites within this past month have continually announced that individuals or groups plan to target police personnel, police vehicles, property, and media vehicles or equipment on an ongoing basis.
"Social media sites" don't target anyone or anything. No one controls what gets written in the free press of the Internet. If an individual has written words to "target" anyone and that writing is, in fact, a violation of the 1st amendent and the laws of California, then prosecute the individual.
The Oakland Police Department is aware of this threat and prepared to deter criminal activity or respond to illegal actions, including vandalism, arson, acts of violence, trespassing, and interference with officers performing their duties.
Ah yes, the all-encompassing "interference with a police officer performing their duties" which allows the OPD to arrest anyone at any time for any reason. As we've seen on film again and again. Any you wonder why there are FTP marches.
Such activities disrupt otherwise peaceful and lawful gatherings and will not be tolerated.
Just like they didn't tolerate Scott Olsen peacefully protesting. Or Susie Cagle peacefully being a member of the press (she was arrested). Or Tiffany Tran, arrested while peacefully protesting -- for lynching. The fact of the matter is, the Oakland Police has no regard whatsoever for whether an action is peaceful, legal, or illegal.
Over the past few weeks, organizers have held marches in downtown Oakland which were billed as anti-police initiatives. During this period, about 15 arrests were made, with approximately 60% of those arrested residing outside the region or the state.
OMG. The notorious "troublemakers" from "outside the region". Ooooohh. Even from beyond the borders of California (where, it is rumored, there are still dragons). Scary. I'll bet half of them are... Wait. For. It. Terrorists and Muslims! Allah forbid someone come to Oakland, one of the hearts and souls of the Occupy movement, to join in a struggle for economic justice. Anyone foolish enough to do that has to be run out of town on whatever trumped-up charge can be fabricated. Do you really think the people of Oakland believe this shit?
Since the first encampment was removed on October 25, 2011, approximately 300 people have been arrested.
About 295 more than should have been. Probably 295 more than were constitutional arrests. Likely 295 more than will even be found guilty of anything by a jury of their peers. Costing the taxpayers of Oakland hundreds of thousands of dollars in wasted human resources and preventing the police from doing the one thing they might actually be useful at -- deterring real crimes like murder, rape and assault by catching the people who commit them.
The Police Department has been successful in obtaining restraining orders against individuals who repeatedly commit crimes, and are working with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office and Oakland City Attorney's Office to explore felony and enhanced charges for people who criminally plan and/or work in concert to break the law.
In other words, the Police are criminally conspiring withe Alameda District Attorney to violate people's rights to peacefully protest by charging them with fraudulent crimes to keep them off the streets and terrorize them into pacificity.
The residents of Oakland are wearying of the constant focus and cost to our city, said Mayor Jean Quan.
The residents of Oakland are, in fact, tired of the lies emanating from Oakland City Hall, the terror that is daily wrought upon them by the Oakland Police, the 1% salaries of Oakland's top administrators, and the $50,000,000 in settlements over the last ten years -- with no end in sight -- to people because of OPD actions. Not to mention the incompetence that has forced the Oakland City government into crisis mode to deal with the latest cuts from Sacramento. Or the resulting layoffs of hard-working employees instead of reductions in the massive overtime paid to OPD to violate 1st amendment rights. And the refusal to increase taxes on the one-percent and Chamber of Commerce of Oakland who pull the strings of the City Council and the City Administration puppet show.
The Mayor and most of the City Council should be recalled, the City Administrator sacked, and every top police official fired.
So say we all. Or at least me.