The Occupy movement comes to Oakland

[alp227]

Source: SF Chronicle

(10-10) 18:05 PDT OAKLAND -- Hundreds of protesters poured into Oakland's Frank Ogawa Plaza this evening, joining a multi-city movement taking aim at economic inequality and corporate excess.

Teachers, nurses, families and the unemployed participated in the Occupy Oakland protest, carrying signs in front of an empty City Hall. The city offices were closed for a furlough day.

Asia Patterson, a 69-year-old, part-time convenience store clerk, showed up at the start of the 4 p.m. protest, saying he was marching in the name of his nephews, nieces and cousins who had been laid off.

"I need to get up and let my voice be heard," he said. "We have allowed the financial industry to get off the hook with their gambling. I'm fed up with it."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/10/BA5T1LFU78.DTL

[Grassy Knoll]

1. I's a start, but Oakland has a bigger problem..

Bikers and gang members have occupied that city for more than 40 years.

[Beam Me Up]

2. Do you live here?

[Grassy Knoll]

3. Not any more, I was born in Richmond...

Then moved to Walnut Creek, and graduated from Pleasant Hill,
The only good news ever to come out of Oakland was Jack London Square's Restaurants
and how bad ass the Raiders were in the 80's. Don't get me wrong, the Oakland hills
is probably the most desirable place to live next to Sausalito , and anywhere in Marin Co.

[zentrum]

4. Not helpful

Walnut Creek is insufferably non-diverse.

You are ignoring all the really valiant attempts to have a vital downtown in Oakland which were sabotaged by the economic downturn. Have you see the public art scene on Grand near the Lake on Fridays? Do you know anything about the Friday open galleries Art Walk? Have you been to Temescal or the farmers market on Lakeshore? Did you ever go to the new restaurant on the Lake? Have you seen how many young people are now living in new condos near Old Oakland? There's more to Oakland than the wealthier hills.

[musiclawyer]

5. Good for oaktown

Which contrary to media bias is one of the coolest places to live in ca
Oaktown has no more problems than a lot of towns but has way more to offer than many
Many of it's citizens, even those living in the hills, are the ones who very much need the 1 percent to pay their share

[FrenchieCat]

7. My husband and I have a business on Grand Avenue,

a couple of doors down from Gold's Gym. Most of Oakland is really nice.....

[Beam Me Up]

9. Ok. Well, I do live here. And I love it.

No, it ain't perfect but it has a lot of things going for it besides "bikers and gangs". I moved here for the culture in the '70s and have stayed here ever since. It has gone through a lot of changes since then but not all of them bad.

[FrenchieCat]

6. I just heard about this....

I might have to go down there and take a look.

:thumbsup:

[NBachers]

8. I'm from San Francisco but I had a cross-Bay romance going on last year

and I've always found good things to experience in Oakland. I also belong to Harborside Medical Center, probably the most excellent green med facility in the USA. It's worth going from San Fran to do business with Harborside.

A lot of involved and committed people in Oakland.