Less than a week ago, Occupy Oakland’s general strike descended into violence when occupiers took over a foreclosed building which used to house the Traveler’s Aid Society, a homeless advocacy organization. Undeterred, Occupy Oakland is again plotting to take over other foreclosed properties. “It’s a very important front for the Occupy movement all over this country, and if any one city can set a precedent for taking over foreclosed buildings, the idea will then quickly spread,” Adrian Dyer, an Occupy organizer told The San Francisco Chronicle. “The key is to improve what we occupy, to do it right, to set a good example.”
What is left of the Oakland business community is not amused. “It’s lawlessness,” Joe Haraburda, president of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce said. “How about if you were a building owner and somebody took over your property? What gives them the right to do that?”
Some leaders in Oakland want to side with law and order. Oakland City Administrator Deanna Santana released a statement saying the occupation of foreclosed buildings “will not be tolerated.”
But Santana has been betrayed by Mayor Jean Quan before. Santana supported the original eviction of Occupy Oakland from Frank Ogawa Plaza back in October. But Quan eventually let them back in.
