her body politik

They say 99% of protesting is just showing up.  The other 1% is voting.   If you want to have greater power over what happens in your democracy, you have to participate.  Vote.

If you feel that you're employees and/or business are being adversely effected by the Occupy Oakland movement send a representative to their nightly general assembly on Broadway and 14th Street in downtown Oakland.  Voice your concerns and take notes.  Be part of the process and help find solutions.   One suggestion is ask Occupy Oakland to publish the names of businesses who are supporting protests with signs and donations in their Twitter feed and Facebook pages.  My guess is that businesses who are willing to publicly support the movement with signage in their windows and announcements on their websites will find more customers than they know what to do with.  Go down to the encampment, bring donations and you will find allies, supporters, and lifelong customers.    http://sanfrancisco.grubstreet.com/2011/11/camino_closed_today_in_support.html

The Oakland Police Officers' Association just posted "An Open Letter to the Citizens of Oakland"  http://www.opoa.org/uncategorized/an-open-letter-to-the-citizens-of-oakland-from-the-oakland-police-officers%E2%80%99-association/  regarding the general strike tomorrow and inconsistency in the Mayor's message.  The letter notes the extreme cost of providing a police presence for protests and asks that the citizens of Oakland support the police in asking for the Mayor to give clear instructions that are consistent with her publicly stated positions on these issues. I support Oakland police officers and, like all employees, they deserve to have clear expectations laid out by their leadership that are in line with the values espoused by the city government.  That is that only way that any employee can be truly effective.  What is frustrating to me is that the motives of the Occupy movement have been convoluted by the Mayor and the actions of the OPD at the dire...

What I think is interesting about what's going on here in Oakland is that the reaction stems from the OPD's historically poor relationship with the citizens of Oakland. ( http://www.insidebayarea.com/t op-stories/ci_18947724 ) The OPD was threatened with federal takeover last year because it has failed to reform its behavior and practices. It shouldn't be lost on anyone that Ogawa Park is been dubb ed 'Oscar Grant Park' by protesters. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B ART_Police_shooting_of_Oscar_G rant ) the unarmed man shot by BART police in Oakland the on NYE. Community ties and culturally competency matter in every business, public or private. If OPD had done its due diligence-- training and educating its officers about cultural differences and historical oppression, hiring for diversity of life experience, not just diversity of race and gender-- to change it's relationship with the working class in Oakland violent unrest would be no more of an issue here t...

Just taking a fiscally conservative approach- what costs more: port-a-potties & extra garbage cans or 200 police officers & a police helicopter being paid overtime, miles of barricades,flash & bang grenades, tear gas, and a publicity nightmare? I don't think one  needs to make a moral or constitutional argument when a cost-benefit analysis will do.