Occupy Oakland Revisited.1

Several years ago our small city became the target for partiers from all over.  We contributed enough of our own locals to create a problem, but adding people coming in from all over to “Mardi Party” the weekend before Mardi Gras created a major problem.  We have a state college here, which was the locus.

My daughter, the police officer, was on duty that night, but fortunately was not at the center of the considerable riot that ensued.  A day or two later I was in my Supervisorial office waiting for my car pool ride to return from a doctor’s visit when our very competent clerk came in with a phone call.  She said, with her hand over the receiver, that she didn’t think I wanted to take the call, but I was the only Supervisor there at the moment.  She told me that the woman on the line wanted me to call our local Sheriff to “tell” him that he should let her son out of jail because all he had done was throw a brick at a police officer.  My comment to our clerk was to ask her what right her son had to throw a brick at my daughter! 

In the Occupy Oakland reporting only Keith Olbermann, that I know of, has commented that there have been some seven officers injured requiring medical treatment because of bottle, rock, paint and other objects being thrown at the police.  We forget that these police are also human beings, with all of the weaknesses as well as strengths of other human beings.  Of course, at least in our city, they have considerable ongoing training on how to restrain themselves, and how to continue in their professionalism to follow up on their motto: To Protect and to Serve. 

This is not to say there aren’t a few rogue police officers and departments, and politicians willing to exploit them for their own agendas.  Everyone knows that there are, and when they are indicted and proven guilty in a court of law, they should have the book thrown at them, regardless of what their orders from the higher ups were.  That is not the point.  The point here is do not blame all of the police for what some do. 

And in conclusion, it is of course really very bad that two Iraq war veterans were injured in the Oakland melees.  I’m not sure if these veterans wore distinctive clothing identifying them as veterans, but it really makes no difference.  It is of course really very bad that two American citizens were injured to the extent these veterans were.  We truly need to have peace here.

If we would have peace, we must work for justice.