Snow Park, 19th and Harrison, Oakland, California, October 19, 2011

Updated 10/22/11: Facebook page here – The camp is still alive and well. (Page includes video of conversation with the cops and other details about this camp.)

Oakland’s SNOW PARK occupation lives!

I work nearby in downtown Oakland, and heard that they had set up shop last night when a fellow worker warned me about extra cops she had seen in the vacinity.

Eager to find out what was going on, I walked over to the park and asked what the story was.

They informed me that a representative from Oakland’s City Government brought them a letter saying that, although the occupiers in front of Oakland City Hall were allowed to stay, due to historical precedence, the Snow-parkers would have to be out by 10pm for breaking the usual camping after 10pm laws.

“We’re making history now.” The supporter reasoned.  (I postulated if, in ten years, it would then be OK to camp out in the park, due to the previous generations historical precedence. ) But none of that mattered, the peaceful demonstrators were told in the letter from Oakland, and from several Police Officers who were sort of driving by and hanging around all day. (In a friendly way, I am told.)

So I tweeted about it and decided to show up myself at 10pm. To everyone’s surprise, nothing happened. No cops. No confrontation. There were at least five different news vans there, about 50 people that were not associated with the protest necessarily, watching. And a number of writers and reporters that had shown up on their own.

I finally left around 10:45, as I felt comfortable that we’d done all we could do to show support and solidarity with the protesters and also to show up with cameras to remind them the world is watching.

I was so pleased this morning to see the camp still standing.

So the struggle continues! But it kinda feels like we held our ground 🙂