Occupy Oakland Sinks to New Lows

According to the latest official poll, Occupy Oakland has lost considerable support around the Bay Area over the past several months. http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/01/31/cbs-5-poll-occupy-movement-losing-bay-area-support/ Needless to say, its repeated illegal actions, violence and vandalism are not appreciated by the vast majority of Bay area residents. Add to this the fact that Occupy has been taking away valuable police resources from an already understaffed department, a total cost of over $3 million to Oakland taxpayers so far, and the arrest of approximately 400 protesters during the ridiculous and illegal attempt to take over the Kaiser Convention Center, and Occupy has effectively reduced support not only for the local movement, but for OWS as well.

But Occupy's arrogance and obliviousness only get worse. Just recently, Occupy Oakland apparently got a few of its members who had nothing better to do with their time to sit in front of the computer and hit one key a few thousand times to distort a Tribune on-line poll regarding Occupy support. Then they publish this ridiculous article to claim that Occupy Oakland enjoys 94% support!
http://occupyoakland.org/2012/02/bay-area-news-group-poll-finds-94-support-occupy/ These morons actually think that this is persuasive?

To make matters even worse, Occupy supporters then hacked the personal information of local public safety advocate Nancy Sidebotham, in an attempt to intimidate her after she organized "Stand for Oakland," a counter-protest against Occupy's violence and vandalism. http://www.ktvu.com/videos/news/oakland-participants-in-occupy-oakland-counter/vF2ns/

I attended the second one of these events last Friday. A group of 40 or 50 silent protesters stood on the steps of City Hall with small yellow signs saying "I stand for Oakland" or "I support OPD." The editor of the "Occupied Oakland Tribune" suggested on Twitter that a band of "tent monsters" come down, presumably to harass or intimidate the silent protesters. Instead, a motley crew of five or six Occupiers hung around with their camera phones, skateboards and/or sage. The sage guy (Zachary Runningwolf) waved his obnoxious smoke in people's faces while repeatedly yelling "you're an asshole" to everyone. You can watch a video of part of action here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2gw0ZYBSzY Watch the interviews with the Stand for Oakland supporters at the end, who articulately outline why Occupy Oakland has lost its way and its support.

Today, Occupy Oakland is sponsoring "Occupy San Quentin" to show its support for prisoners, i.e. victims of the "prison industrial complex." So a movement that began with the purpose of drawing attention to the erosion of the middle class, foreclosure abuses, and bank bailouts, is now claiming that criminals and Death Row inmates are the victims? Wow. According to the deluded claims of the Occupiers, people are in prison for being "have nots," not for their crimes. Tell that to Ted Bundy, Martha Stewart, Bernie Madoff or O.J. Simpson. http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/82114207 The solution, according to the advocates of today's protest, is the abolition of capitalims, and, I presume, letting criminals run loose in the streets?

Oh, and one additional tidbit: legal support for the Occupied Oakland Tribune, which is promoting this event, is from Siegel and Yee, Jane Brunner's law firm.

How To Help With the Jean Quan Recall Effort

Just so that you all are up to speed: there are two recall petitions being circulated, by three separate groups. The first petition was initiated by Gene Hazzard. But then he pissed off a bunch of people who had volunteered to help gather signatures, and they formed a second group, led by Nancy Sidebotham, Charles Pine and others. They have website you can visit. http://www.recallandrestore.com/

Then a splinter group of the "Recall and Restore" faction thought that the Hazzard petition was defective, and they formed their own group. They are led by Greg Harland, Len Raphael and Wayne Rowland. You can visit their website here. http://www.recallquan.com/

Their legal challenge against the Hazzard petition went nowhere. Yes, there was a defect. Apparently the Hazzard petition was published in the "legal notices" section of the local paper without including the names and addresses of the first 50-75 supporters. Who cares? Particularly since the names and addresses had already been published by all the local papers earlier the same week? Also, if this were such a big deal, then the City Clerk should have rejected the petition on that basis, and any claims that the defect was somehow substantively relevant should be considered waived under the doctrine of "laches." (Meaning if you sleep on your rights, you lose your right to sue).

So now what we've got are two recall petitions being circulated. Kind of confusing, I know. But I am not taking sides. I support both the petitions. I hope at least one of them succeeds. I can't say I'm too optimistic, because frankly the efforts aren't super well organized, but I'll try to help. I have already signed the Hazzard petition, and am helping gather signatures for the Sidebotham/Pine group. Please contact them through their website if you'd like to sign their petition or help gather signatures.

The Greg Harland group has provided instructions on how you can sign the petition, and help collect signatures, from the comfort of your own home:

Visit RecallQuan.com and click on the "volunteer" button.

State that you would like to collect signatures from your home.

Alternatively, email info@recallquan.com

(You must be a registered Oakland voter.)

An email with a circulator's document will be sent to you. Read the entire document, then sign and date your acknowledgement; fax or email the signed document to us.

A packet with printed blank petitions will be mailed to you.

When you are ready, contact the Committee to Recall Mayor Quan Now by email or phone and arrange to get us the signed petitions.