After demonstrators in the Occupy Oakland movement were sprayed with tear gas Tuesday when they refused to leave the plaza outside of Oakland City Hall, concern over a similar situation in Los Angeles has some city officials considering an exit strategy.
“What we want to do is end this in a peaceful manner – without anyone getting harmed, without anyone going to jail,” said city councilman Dennis Zine. “Should it have ended by now? Probably so [because] they’ve made their point.”
Councilman Bill Rosendahl (D-District 11), a political liberal and supporter of the movement, said he was taken out of context when he was quoted in one report saying it was time for the occupation of the City Hall lawn to end. Others say such talk is premature.
“If they merely want to express their civil rights to make a protest, I don’t know what we would hang our hat on in order to move them,” said Councilman Richard Alarcon (D-District 7).
But Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s office released a statement saying the protestors have cost the city tens of thousands of dollars in overtime, may have ruined the lawn and irrigation system and refused to comply with several city ordinances.
Occupy LA protestors aren’t impressed.
“As a society that pumps millions of chemicals into the atmosphere, I think you can have this little span for a revolution,” said one protestor.
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Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a former mayor herself, said, “It’s one thing to have a demonstration. It’s another thing to stay there and disturb business and become problems with sanitation and other things over a period of time.”
City officials say they’re impressed with the way the Occupy LA movement has been self-policed for so long. But they’re concerned that there could be an incident as more homeless members of Skid Row, for example, come to the area and take advantage of free food and medical supplies.
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