What was the strategy behind that? I was a strong proponent of the name change. Their actions are costing this city a lot of money, during a time when city employees are getting laid off. And their actions go against the wishes of most people in this community, as evidenced by the fact that the numbers for these actions dwindle every time. And I get that the city has a responsibility to setting budgetary priorities too.
I also think a chunk of the funding that goes to policing should be invested in community based practices that actually make our communities safe in the long term. But in addition to that, it is also true that Occupy Oakland is costing this city a lot of money. And those who are not from this city have a very different relationship to that. When people that are not from a certain community come in and force their will on another community, what do you call that?
I apologize for that, I made an assumption based on what I heard and past experience. I still stand by my point, that these actions are something that I believe the majority of Oaklanders do not want.
Police Brutality Much of this movement has become an excuse to target our anger at the police. We rail against police brutality every chance we get. And anyone who knows anything about Oakland knows that police brutality is a serious issue here.
Do you think that getting hit with a little bit of tear gas and being pushed around with a baton is the worst of what happens here? How much time do you spend talking about how you were tear-gassed, and how much time do you spend talking about the repression that happens every day in low-income communities?
