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Elaine Elizabeth Belz
- Oakland, CA
- Last Record: 2013-03-12 21:56:21 -1000
- Joined: Sep 03, 2010
- http://eebelz.blogspot...
I'm trying to organize this, but am having trouble. For some reason, the site isn't letting me add records to this album at all.
I created another album, "2 Nov 2011 General Strike (Occupy Oakland)" http://www.hitrecord.org/records/569888 to try to begin organizing, but I can't add it here. Maybe I'll be able to later. So if you were looking for something here, it might've moved over there. Sorry for that inconvenience! Please do check out that other album. And since I can't add anything to this album right now, I'll be uploading new records into another album as well, which will eventually be dumped into this one.
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These photos were taken between 4-5pm on October 27.
Two days earlier, the police had evicted everyone from the plaza & lawn in front of city hall, because it's "illegal" to camp there overnight. (Laws like that are for the purpose of criminalizing houselessness and protests.) That night, as the people refused to leave the area, the police rioted and injured several people, one of them really badly, so a couple of days later, the mayor decided to allow the camp to return and not enforce that law, at least for now. There's a lot of PR work for the city to do...
People and news vans/choppers were trickling in during this hour I spent photographing. I must confess I'm not an active participant, although I'm a huge supporter of this movement.
This shrine was set up for an Iraq War vet, Scott Olsen, who was injured by police. Latest word I've heard is that he'll be OK.
"They can't stop our fire"
"We shall overcome"
People start to gather...
Here you can see a trace of the tents that were here before police and city workers, on the order of the mayor, had them removed.
All ages!
Kids being kids!
I don't think these people knew they were standing in a line along the phrase, "We will not be moved," but it seemed like a great photo op to me.
I have a photo of a guy writing this sign, but when he gave me permission to photograph him, he also pulled his bandana up over his face. I took that as a sign he might not like me posting his photo all over the web (although it's on my facebook page...) so I won't put that up here.
"Separation of Business and State" - Great idea! Let's give it a try!
Re-posting the sign. It had been on the plaza before the police removed it; now they've given it even more prominence!
News chopper. I've been falling asleep to the sound of these the last few nights, and I go to bed rather late. It's nice to not hear any tonight.
Last night (Oct 26th) there were rumors that the San Francisco police were going to raid Occupy SF. People from Oakland were trying to go over there to stand in solidarity with the occupation there, but the police shut down the BART stations (train system that crosses the bay) in the downtown Oakland area. This photo, of course, is after that had all died down and the system was open again, but it's one of the stations that was closed.
This sign was unfinished. Anyone wanna finish it? ;)
People sharing food.
"Please give and take generously"
We theologians might call this a prolepsis of the Reign of God, or a vision of divine economy.
Or maybe just a glimpse of people being human.
We've all heard detractors calling the Occupy protesters "hippies" - well, one finally showed up. He had a name badge that read "The Usual Suspect." Later, when I asked about it, he told me yes, he did make his outfit, and had more of them. He was obliging to everyone who asked for a photo.
The reverse of the sign in "Occupy Oakland 23."
The revolution just might be televised after all!
People continue to gather.
More of the food-sharing.
News chopper flying overhead. Sorry for the less-than-smooth quality.
Really brief vid of the candles, just so the flickering's there.
My photos from Occupy Oakland tonight came out really dark, and this one was kinda fun to make B&W and obscure. Can you see the skeleton sign in there? Happy Halloween!
Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA
A local Teamsters union showed up with supplies in this huge semi truck, playing music like "Fight the Power," "Power to the People," and this union anthem, "Solidarity Forever."
I'm from Detroit, so unions make me happy. :)
2 November 2011, General Strike, Occupy Oakland (Oakland, CA)
As I approached Frank Ogawa Plaza (a.k.a. Oscar Grant Plaza) just before noon on 2 November 2011, the day of the General Strike, I was met with one of the many marches that went out from the plaza all through the course of the day.
"Banks got bailed out - we got sold out!"
General Strike, 2 November 2011, Occupy Oakland
2 November 2011 General Strike, Occupy Oakland
"The People are too big to fail!"
Tents on Frank Ogawa/Oscar Grant Plaza
2 November 2011
I'm told the sign in the foreground reads something like "The people want the regime to end."
2 November 2011
2 November 2011
This is where General Assemblies were held, and also where speakers, rappers, and other presenters got a chance to have their voices heard throughout the day while Occupy Oakland was on Frank Ogawa / Oscar Grant Plaza.
2 November 2011
2 November 2011
2 November 2011
2 November 2011
2 November 2011, day of the General Strike.
Tools for civil disobedience: the phone numbers for free legal aid and medics.
As with most if not all Occupy sites, food was regularly distributed to anyone who wanted it at Occupy Oakland. This is something different. It was a booth set up to highlight the many problems with our food supply and global corporate food systems. I believe they were giving away locally-grown veggies here.
Dia de los Muertos, 2 November 2011, Occupy Oakland General Strike.
2 November 2011
Banners made by Youth Together.
2 November 2011, day of the General Strike at Occupy Oakland.
2 November 2011, General Strike, Occupy Oakland
2 November 2011 General Strike
2 November 2011
Couldn't resist this! :)
There's a man dressed in white on the RH side whose sign reads, "Too little to fail." I love that, too.
I met up with some folks from POOR Magazine (check it out at www.poormagazine.org). Snapped this picture as we started picking up to move to a better location on the plaza.
POOR's Poverty Skolaz are amazing people.
2 November 2011, General Strike, Occupy Oakland
2 November 2011, General Strike.
2 November 2011, General Strike
They look like monks to me. If I'm wrong, let me know and I'll correct this.
2 November 2011, General Strike and Day of the Dead
This camper was providing free tea to anyone who came for it. The sticker (Occupy Oakland 58) on the side of the van said, "Make Tea, not War."
Indeed.
2 November 2011, General Strike
Free tea was given out from this truck.
The expression on his face matches the sign so well.
2 November 2011, General Strike
2 November 2011 General Strike
This footage is a bit old now, but still evergreen.
As of today, there is no Occupy encampment in Oakland, and the one in SF is likely to be "cleared" any time now.
Seen on a sidewalk today in Oakland (near the Lake Merritt BART station, alongside Laney College). I question the wording, since the whole percentage thing is about wealth, but the sentiment is right. IMNSHO. ;)
"Consider their oppression when you eat."
How we treat animals is tied in with our whole ethical system, and how we get our food is a huge part of how we treat other human and non-human members of our global community. So it's not just animals' oppression we need to consider when we eat, but also the oppression of food industry workers at home and abroad, and of people who go hungry, at home and abroad, in a world that has more than enough food for everyone. [/sermon]
