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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Stand with the Oakland protesters!

When I think of Oakland, California, I think of Angela Davis, fists in the air and a fight for fairness.  I think of downtrodden protesters will more willpower than fatigue.  I guess that is what the government has always feared.  What happened in Oakland was not right.  Whether you think the Occupy Wall Street protest is founded in reasonable outrage or not.    Change.org says,

"For two weeks, hundreds of peaceful protesters gathered in Oakland's Oscar Grant Plaza as part of that city's installation of the Occupy Wall Street movement. For two weeks, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan told the police to leave the protesters alone -- she said that she supported the protests, that sometimes "democracy is messy." But yesterday, without warning, Mayor Quan reversed her stance. Protesters say that, on her orders, the Oakland police fired tear gas, bean bags, and stun grenades. When they peacefully gathered outside the plaza again last night, protestors -- who included veterans, children, and a woman in a wheelchair -- were met with more tear gas and police violence.
Oakland resident Shanelle Matthews saw her city's violent crackdown on Occupy Oakland and knew something had to be done. So Shanelle started a petition on Change.org asking Oakland Mayor Jean Quan to stop the city's crackdown and grant Occupy Oakland a safe space to make their voices heard. Click here to add your name to Shanelle's petition.  In just one month, people fed up with wealth inequality and the influence of Wall Street have staged occupations in more than 900 cities across the globe. Cities like Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC have so far allowed their residents to keep up continuous protests, with city officials even joining the occupations.
In Oakland, Mayor Jean Quan has gone from allowing Occupy Oakland to protest to having tear gas fired at her citizens who gathered for a peaceful demonstration. Quan's crackdown has forced a quiet encampment into the streets, threatening the safety of thousands of people.  It's critical to create a safe space for Occupy Oakland to protest in the city as part of the nationwide Occupy Wall Street movement. Please sign Shanelle's petition on Change.org asking Oakland Mayor Quan to allow Occupy Oakland to stay outside City Hall and stop her crackdown on demonstrators in the city:
 To sign Shanelle's petition urging fair treatment for the protestors, Click Here!

Thank you for reading my blog today. Please be kind to yourself and to others. Share your visions of peace and justice with the world. Strive always to leave each place you visit the better for your having been there! - TCK


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