Forum Post: Oakland Police: We Are The 99%

"The Oakland Police Department: 'We are the 99%.'

On November 1st, the Oakland Police Officer's Association shocked everyone by releasing an official statement condemning the confusion that they claim has been caused by the ineffective leadership of the Oakland, California Mayor's office. 'As your police officers, we are confused,' the statement says.

'On Tuesday, October 25th, we were ordered by Mayor Quan to clear out the encampments at Frank Ogawa Plaza and to keep protesters out of the Plaza. We performed the job that the Mayor’s Administration asked us to do, being fully aware that past protests in Oakland have resulted in rioting, violence and destruction of property.

Then, on Wednesday, October 26th, the Mayor allowed protesters back in - to camp out at the very place they were evacuated from the day before.

To add to the confusion, the Administration issued a memo on Friday, October 28th to all City workers in support of the 'Stop Work' strike scheduled for Wednesday, giving all employees, except for police officers, permission to take the day off...

...The Mayor and her Administration are beefing up police presence for Wednesday's work strike they are encouraging, and even 'staffing,' spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars for additional police presence - at a time when the Mayor is also asking Oakland residents to vote on an [80 dollar] parcel tax to bail out the City's failing finances.'

It is clear there is growing struggle in the city's governmental authority.

Following this press release, we spoke with a member of the Oakland Police Officer's Association, and an active member of the Oakland Police Department, Sergent Dom Arotzarena. When we asked what he sees as the biggest struggle in maintaining order and civility in the city while simultaneously allowing citizens their full right to peaceably assemble, Sgt. Arotzarena expressed, echoing the core message of the Association's release, that his biggest concern was not from the encampment of protesters, but from the Mayor's office.

Sgt. Arotzarena lamented an obvious lack of clear direction and leadership from the top, and expressed concern over the Mayor's confusing direction. He would identify a primary example of this lacking, regarding state worker's ability to participate in the forthcoming general strike, scheduled to take place city-wide today.

'The police are not allowed to take the day off, pitting state workers against..."

-- Read more: http://gobb.us/78j