Stop us if you've heard this one before: Oakland police (and a slew of officers from other agencies) descend on Frank Ogawa (Oscar Grant) Plaza outside City Hall to evict the Occupy Oakland encampment. Then, almost before you've gotten used to that, the occupiers are right back in the plaza.
That's kind of what we've seen today and tonight, as police swept the encampment (just like they did three weeks ago--though with less resistance from occupiers on one side and less heavy-handed tactics from the police on the other). Then tonight, Occupy Oakland "reconverged" at the city's Main Library on 14th Street (just like they did the day after last month's sweep) and marched back to the plaza, where they promptly convened a general assembly to talk about next steps.
What's different from last month is the lack of intervening violence. Then, an apparent handful of provocateurs threw rocks and bottles and other items at police and police responded with tear-gas, flash-bang grenades, and fusillades of non-lethal (but quite dangerous) munitions. Both the sweep this morning and the protest this evening were almost uniformly peaceful. But having watched the ebb and flow of the Occupy Oakland camp, the general strike called after the violent police response, and the latest sweep and march, we know better than to call this story over for the night.
And it's not: UC-Berkeley's OccupyCal group has called a general strike on campus Tuesday—largely in response to the aggressive police tactics used against students last week—and Occupy Oakland activists agreed tonight to march the length of Telegraph Avenue Tuesday afternoon to join the Berkeley protest.
Here's a rundown on Occupy Oakland, OccupySF and OccupyCal news as we wait for tomorrow's campus general strike:
- Another member of Quan’s team quits (Bay Citizen)
Two of Oakland Mayor Jean Quan's top advisors resigned Monday, after police evicted the Occupy Oakland encampment. Deputy Mayor Sharon Cornu, formerly the Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Alameda Labor Council, resigned Monday afternoon. In an interview, Cornu said she remained "a big fan of Jean Quan." "I have supported the mayor’s actions on Occupy Oakland. I think through this very very difficult time, her leadership has been important in showing a way forward that included a balance between first amendment rights and public safety," Cornu said. - OccupyCal, UC Berkeley general strike Tuesday a.m. (Berkeleyside)
With the dismantling by police of the Occupy Oakland camp early this morning, the Occupy focus has shifted to UC Berkeley where students are preparing to hold a general strike on Tuesday. Reports suggest that Occupy Oakland protesters may march to Berkeley to join Occupy Cal demonstrations tomorrow too. But plans by protesters to demonstrate at a Regents’ meeting scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday this week at Mission Bay have been foiled, as the meeting has been rescheduled at the advice of law enforcement officials. - *SFPD erects barricades near OccupySF camp (San Francisco Examiner)
San Francisco police erected barricades near the Occupy SF encampment less than 12 hours after the Occupy camp in Oakland was raided by police. At about 2 p.m., San Francisco police put barricades on the northwestern and southwestern corners of Justin Herman Plaza. - ACLU, National Lawyers Guild sue Oakland police over violent tactics during Occupy Oakland incidents (Indybay)
Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU-NC) and the National Lawyers’ Guild (NLG) filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Oakland Police Department (OPD) for its egregious constitutional violations against Occupy Oakland demonstrators. The lawsuit asks for an emergency temporary restraining order to stop police violence against political protesters. The restraining order is urgent because another police encounter with demonstrators is imminent, after the removal of the Occupy Oakland camp early this morning. The case is currently before United States District Court Judge Richard Seeborg, who immediately issued an order requiring the City to respond by 5pm tomorrow. - Berkeley protesters announce lawsuit against UC campus police (San Francisco Examiner)
A group of University of California at Berkeley students and community protesters who say they were victims of police brutality during a Nov. 9 Occupy Cal demonstration announced Monday their lawsuit against the university and multiple UCPD police officers. - UC-Berkeley chancellor announces amnesty for students arrested during OccupyCal protests (Daily Californian)
Upon his return from East Asia Sunday, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau announced Monday that he has appointed UC Berkeley School of Law professor Jesse Choper, former dean of the school and current chair of the Police Review Board to review the actions of the police during last week’s Occupy Cal protests.Calling videos of the demonstrations “disturbing,” Birgeneau stated that all students arrested during the protest for blocking police officers will be granted amnesty and will not face charges under the student code of conduct.