The site is also near Oakland School for the Arts and Esch says the school’s Executive Director and parents expressed concern as well.
Occupy Oakland voted by an overwhelming margin earlier this week to reassemble its encampment at the site. However, only about 300 members voted, and there is another proposal on the agenda at tonight’s general assembly to rescind that vote.
If plans for the camp move forward, protesters plan to set up the tents tomorrow.
The site is adjacent to the “Remember Them” monument, by artist Mario Chiodo. The sculpture, which is still in progress, was inspired by the Sept 11 attack and will eventually depict 25 historical figures, including FDR, Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, Oskar Schindler, Susan B. Anthony, Cesar Chavez, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Maya Angelou. The Oakland Chamber of Commerce is one of the organizations footing the bill, and some protesters told Caitlin Esch that they thought it was hypocritical the organization would support a work depicting famous activists while at the same time opposing their group.
Some Occupy member also said they want the new encampment to take on a different feel: safer, quieter, and smaller, with more participation in the life of the camp from the general community.
The group also called for a march and a mass day of action tomorrow.
You can see the full press conference, which starts at around 14:00 of the video, here: