January 29th, 2012
05:42 PM ET

Oakland's mayor says city is fed up after hundreds of Occupy activists arrested

Municipal employees in Oakland worked Sunday to clean up damage they said was caused hours earlier by Occupy protesters, "possibly 400" of whom were arrested for breaking into a YMCA and City Hall and challenging police.

Oakland Police Officer Johnna Watson said authorities were still trying to determine exactly how many people had been detained, with earlier reports putting the figure at over 100 people. She described what transpired as "one of the largest mass arrests that we have seen in the city," adding that "it would be fair to say that we're looking easily at over 300, possibly 400" arrests.

Mayor Jean Quan took reporters through City Hall on Sunday, pointing to walls where graffiti had already been painted over and other areas of garbage, vandalism and destruction that she said had been left by protesters.

"I ran out of patience a long time ago," Quan said of the Occupy Oakland activists. "We're tired of some people - and, again, it's a faction of the Occupy movement - using Oakland as their playground."

"I think people are really angry," she added later, speaking about residents' feelings toward the demonstrators.

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Filed under: California • Occupy Wall Street • U.S.
soundoff (28 Responses)
  1. Joey Isotta-Fraschini©™

    @ TORI©:
    I miss running into you: we don't coincide.
    I think that you arrived here after my sympathies with OWS ended. My first reaction was that many OWS protesters–NOT meaning your brilliant father–did not understand the complex issues involved in USA income disparities and inequities. I wanted to help, and I thought that much help would be in explanation of reality and of American economic history, gender customs, and other factors in this problem. I quickly changed into an OWS nemico.

    January 29, 2012 at 8:44 pm | Report abuse |
    • grumpy

      Sorry you left the movement. There are many of us that realize that the message of OWS is a statement of facts regarding socio-economic disparities, and in many cases proposed solutions. There has been a lot of drama surrrounding the movement, this weekend providing another example. The message will continue to be the focus of attention for the majority of Americans that support in principle the goals and objectives of the movement. Two Republican candidates for President sounded like occupiers on the campaign trail. Please read our posts at occupylosangeles.org as their are few forums for discussion on these issues and we hope to provide useful information as well.

      January 29, 2012 at 9:04 pm | Report abuse |
  2. hamsta

    i said in the very beginning that ows was a bunch of socialistic communist criminals.but everyone was so busy demonizing the tea party that they totally overlooked the truth staring them in the face.the beginning idea was bad to begin with.as a poor man im still intelligent enough to know that sh?t rolls downhill and that punishing the rich man will not benefit the poor.the poor depend on that rich man for employment if you arent to lazy to work.the welfare recipient depends on that rich man who pays more taxes than you even though he pays a lower percentage.punishing the rich man is just going to make him poor and you even poorer.that is why socialism and communism will never work.if your mad cuy you are poor the wise thing to do is wosk harder and make it as easy as possible for the rich man who pays your wages.

    January 29, 2012 at 9:23 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Mmmmm ♔♕

    300 to 400 arrested! sheriff, that's alotta of baloney sandmishes...

    January 29, 2012 at 9:43 pm | Report abuse |
  4. hamsta

    Just deport all the occupy protestors to greece since they think socialism is so much better

    January 29, 2012 at 9:54 pm | Report abuse |
  5. hamsta

    @tori any and all that support ows.all of them need to be deported to greece so they can have their socialism.

    January 29, 2012 at 9:57 pm | Report abuse |
  6. val

    I have not heard a single protester able to articulate what the exact problem or problems are that they are protesting about. All I hear are generalities. For that matter I haven't seen or heard a single comprehensive plan or solution to fix any of these problems. Until I do all I see and hear are a bunch of people screaming about how unfair everything is. Well, I am one of the 99% and frankly I think it's unfair and I resent having to pay extra in city taxes down the road because these people are vandalizing property and causing the cities they "occupy" to spend extra tens of thousands of dollars. Protesting is fine but you better be able to articulate a complaint and have a solution for the complaints otherwise you are nothing more than another problem the rest of us 99% have to pay for.

    January 29, 2012 at 10:50 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Black Rat

    Atleast oakland have the guts unlike the booty lickers in L.A.

    January 29, 2012 at 10:59 pm | Report abuse |
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