Whenever journalists are arrested/detained for reporting the news, everyone’s freedom is at risk.KGO Radio reporter Kristin Hanes • Discussing her arrest late Saturday as the Occupy Oakland protests flared up. She and Gavin Aronson of Mother Jones were among the over 200 people placed into custody Saturday night, as the Oakland protests reached a new breaking point — including the burning of an American flag. Both mayor Jean Quan and the police were quick to pin negative attention on the protesters: “The Bay Area Occupy Movement has got to stop using Oakland as their playground,” Quan said in a statement. However, it’s important to keep in mind the nature of the police actions — including violence towards protesters and the use of tear gas grenades. An OpenSalon writer has a pretty informative first-person piece worth reading, which describes both the nature of the protesters (not as bad as reported) and why things flared up Saturday. source (via • follow)
We can’t afford to wait. We have to act on these issues now. Our projections show continued growth in population and vehicle miles traveled, which will affect air quality for years to come.Mary Nichols, the chairman of the California Air Resources Board • Discussing why new ‘Clean Car’ regulations are necessary. California’s new bill, which would require vehicles to cut down on pollutants by 75 percent, would start in 2015, and the rules would tighten further by 2025. This could be a step in the right direction for such a smog-ridden state, but opponents say that it would hurt consumers and car manufacturers, claiming it raises the price of a new vehicle by $3,200. The new standards could inspire other states to follow suit. source (via • follow)
This young girl witnessed a heinous crime, yet she was able to provide great insight into that fateful day. She may be young, but she’s extremely bright, articulate and courageous.Fresno, Calif. Police Department Deputy Chief Keith Foster • Regarding a child who escaped a triple murder-suicide. The 7-year-old was able to leave the scene of this bloody crime unharmed. She had stayed the night at the house of her neighbor, Aide Mendez, the woman police say was behind the murder-suicide. The young girl witnessed at least one of the murders; Mendez allegedly shot her two children and also killed her cousin before killing herself. She also shot and stabbed her husband, but he survived the attack and is recovering in a local hospital. What could have caused Mendez to go through with all of that? While we may not know the complete truth, investigators discovered an iPad video recording of Mendez and her cousin smoking methamphetamine hours before the deadly incident. source (via • follow)
Two unidentified witnesses found the head in the Hollywood Hills near the Griffith Observatory, a popular hiking area. Homicide detectives were looking for further evidence in the area, including a search for a body, police said.
Speechless.
» The suspect? A 24-year-old German immigrant: The L.A. arson spree, in which cars were used to ignite flames, is still under investigation, but no new fires have been started since their lead suspect has been taken into custody today. ”I feel very good that we’ve got the right guy,” said Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck. ”[The suspect] had the right stuff in his van, and we are confident in the arrest.” The man, Harry Burkhart, is a German immigrant who was reportedly upset about the immigration status of his mother. According to L.A. Weekly, when Burkhart was arrested, he uttered the words “I hate America.” No civilians were hurt during the costly spree.
#OTRP - Mitt Romney makes an appearance at Occupy the Rose Parade.
Looks like Jayel Aheram made an appearance at the parade. He has a few shots over at his blog. The L.A. Times, meanwhile, says that the occupiers who showed up got a mixed reaction from the crowd: “A group of onlookers on an apartment balcony cheered and waved, while some people in the grandstands booed. One man walked past some protesters and said, ‘You guys had your 15 minutes.’” Ouch. Wait, were they looking for 15 minutes?
» Cars uses as incendiary devices: The damage caused by these fires, many of which were started by unlocked cars and allowed to blaze out of control, sometimes spreading to nearby buildings — in one case a home where Jim Morrison once lived. ”Auto fires, as soon as they get going, they get really hot, really fast,” Los Angeles Assistant Chief Patrick Butler said. “They essentially give off their own combustibles.” Officials are asking neighbors to keep their eye out and to offer up any security footage near the scenes of the arson attacks.
Intense wind storms over the west this morning: Strong Santa Ana winds began Wednesday night; they caused damage (as seen above in home footage near Pasadena) and major power outages. Around 25,000 were without power under Southern California Edison’s jurisdiction. The National Weather Service said that the winds will likely continue through Friday, causing more flight delays. As you might imagine, Winds of this strength are causing some concern. Let’s hope that (on top of all this other stuff) one of California’s four seasons doesn’t start soon: Fire, landslides, earthquakes and riots. source
The notice of eviction for those at Occupy Oakland. Click for full image. (Source: Oakland Police Department)
Here’s video of the reported shooting near the Occupy Oakland encampment. Video is 45 seconds in; KGO-TV was on the scene and captured the sound of gunfire while reporter Laura Anthony was on camera near the encampment. To clarify, protesters may not have been involved, but the person shot upon reportedly ran from the people in the encampment. ”This is known throughout the world,” noted spokesperson Shake Anderson. “If someone does something wrong in their community, they may want to come here and this is not the place for that.”
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According to this press release, the Port of Oakland has reopened, a day after the Occupy Oakland general strike began. Prior to the protest, the port’s site put up a statement regarding the general strike. “It is understandable that the citizens of Oakland want to show solidarity with the worldwide movement for economic and social justice,” the note read. “It is also imperative that any and all expressions of protest be effective without being violent. Every individual on all sides of this event must take personal responsibility to ensure peace. Each one of us at the Port is committed to a peaceful and safe march for all involved.” The protest shut down the port for roughly a day.
I didn’t destroy any property yesterday, but destruction of property is not violent.Derek Winslow • A demonstrator with the “Occupy Oakland” movement who was arrested early Thursday morning after overtaking a building in downtown Oakland. Winslow admitted that the occupation of the building, along with the ensuing fires that were set around the property to deter police, “wasn’t the best reaction, but we are frustrated.” More than 80 people were arrested after police deployed tear gas in the area. source (via • follow)
We put together an ideological principle that the mainstream media wouldn’t talk about two months ago.The Coup’s Boots Riley • Discussing Occupy Oakland’s big day yesterday, in which thousands of people showed up and made their voices heard, stopping the operations of Oakland’s major port in the process. It didn’t remain non-violent however, with riot police showing up to arrest dozens of people as windows were shattered and buildings were broken into.
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