Tuesday of this week was one of the bleakest days in Oakland’s history. The events I covered on that morning were terrible enough, what happened later that evening was unforgivable. The thing I had seen on the faces of the officers that morning, the look of hate and anger, came to be that evening.

The coalition of police departments made some bad judgments. Possibly the most damaging one was teargassing the local TV news anchors that evening. My health wouldn't permit me to stay for the evenings events, so I had to observe through the mainstream TV news. As things unfolded, I learned that reporters of both KTVU and KPIX had been gassed. And though those reports still seemed biased towards the city and police, and kept exaggerating the reports of protestors throwing things that the city and police used as excuses for their behavior, something shifted. I started seeing more empathy from those reporters.

What was caught on video said it all. There was little to no video of protestors being violent, there was a lot showing the police using excessive measures on the protestors. I think the images of the large amounts of tear gas, along with flash grenades and the sounds of rubber bullets being fired shocked most people watching. It was so shocking and appalling, that it got world wide attention.

By Wednesday at noon, the local news was showing images of injured protestors. This included people bruised by the rubber bullets, and showing the bullets that were used. Later that day it came out that the most injured person, Scott Olsen, is an Iraqi war veteran, and he was in critical condition. I don't think that sat well with many people.

When the Occupiers reconvened at Frank Ogawa Plaza Wednesday evening at 6, it was the largest gathering I've seen at any bay area Occupy event. There were at least 1500 people, it's very possible it was closer to 2,000. It was an extremely peaceful group. They held a long general assembly meeting, at which they called for a worker and student general strike on Nov. 2^nd.

They also decided to go to SF to support the Occupiers there as word spread that a similar raid was planned there. Around 10 PM they turned around and marched to the 12^th street Bart station, only to find it closed, with a small lineup of Bart Police in the way. It was hard to see what exactly was going on. A handful of protestors were at the bottom of the stairs trying to get through. One of them was getting worked up and threatening, the others were all trying to calm him down, asking for peace. I turned and missed a confrontation, when I looked back one protestor was being held by the police.

Apparently 1,000 people had shown up in SF, and of course, the police didn't want what would have been two or three hundred more (at least) to show up, which is most probably why they closed the station. Of course, by not allowing the protestors to leave, they would have had a hard time arresting them for staying after 10.

So the Occupiers peacefully marched around the area.. Eventually they gathered back at 14^th and Broadway, and people amiably hung out. There were police all over the place on the edges, and I saw several of the vans used by the riot police, and one lineup of riot police that I saw my assailant from the day before in. The police did nothing more then blocking the way occasionally to keep the protestors close to the area they were in. I kind of felt corralled, and it was pretty oppressive. Many of us kept thinking something eminent would happen. But it never did.

Though there were buses of police reported by KCBS radio at Treasure Island waiting to go to the SF camp to raid it, they never did. The radio people theorized that there were too many people in SF.

I agree with that theory, and I think that's what happened in Oakland too. If it took 500 police to break up the camp Tuesday morning, what would it have taken to break up and arrest everyone at these two locations?

That combined with the terrible image Oakland authorities got from Tuesdays actions has gotten Oakland Mayor Jean Quan to completely back down. Her first statement on Tuesday morning praised the police for a “generally peaceful resolution”. Later in the day, she claimed she had no prior knowledge of the planned police action as she had been out of the town. Really? In this age of instant information?

In a complete about face, her latest statement (as reported on SF gate) claims “We have decided to have a minimal police presence at the plaza for the short term and build a community effort to improve communications and dialogue with the demonstrators.” She also states “99% of our officers stayed professional during difficult and dangerous circumstances”. I'm glad she allows that at least 1% did not. But difficult and dangerous circumstances? Weren't those almost entirely made by the police?

I spoke with many, many people last night. I kept asking if they had been there Tuesday, and how much violence they had seen. The report I got was similar from everyone, ranging from seeing 1 to 5 protestors do something violent, ranging from rocks, paint, and a water bottle. Several people spoke of other protestors stepping in many times when they saw impending violence to stop it.

Though the occupiers can organize through General Assemblies and small groups, one thing I've learned is they can't agree on many things that they say. And I mean that in a good way. This is one free thinking and speaking bunch. There are themes, like we're against corporate greed, and most talk of a peaceful agenda. But I don't think they're capable of conspiring to consistently lie about the violence. And I haven't seen the pictures or the video to prove otherwise.

I could write pages on what I learned last night. I had so many good conversations with so many good and smart individuals. It was moving. The faces of this movement are mostly kind, smart and good people.

Wednesday is the day the police backed off. Will this be the week that is a turning point for OWS? Will the mainstream media start seeing it for what it really is? According to the Occupy Together website, there are now meetups in 1765 or more cities. Are we on the verge of this being too many people to stop?

One last thing I want to respond to. The condition of the camp. Throughout this piece I've put pictures of the camp I took during the week before the raid, as well as pictures below my video of last Saturday's march in Oakland. In my visits to the camp, I met some homeless people and saw some people who I didn't feel comfortable approaching. They were the minority, and I don't think there's anything wrong with the Occupiers making their space all inclusive of anyone who wants to be there.

Those people would be here in Oakland anyway. I think the willingness to share their space and live side by side with anyone challenges much about the society we live in, in a way that makes many people uncomfortable. I think that's a good thing. All you Bible folk, isn't this what Jesus was talking about?

My neighborhood in Oakland has it's share of homeless drug addicts. I've seen them and non-homeless people use the front yard of my apartment as a bathroom, both ways. I've caught people having sex behind the bush 3 feet from the window by where I sleep. I've seen people doing drugs on my front steps, I've seen people buy heroin in the parking lot across the street. Rats come and go due to all the food establishments on the street a block away.

Does this mean we should shut down my area? Should they arrest everyone here and tear gas them? Anything they found cleaning up in the park Wednesday morning they could find in my front yard.

This is Oakland, a great city, but with great problems. The Occupiers are not a problem.

_{Latrina Rhinehart and Matheo Chavez, great grand nephew of Ceasar Chavez, choose to include the Occupy Oakland camp in their wedding.}

The Occupiers are setting up camp again. There are calls for needing tents, sleeping bags, supplies. I pray for their safety. I wish my health were good enough to join them in the overnight part of the Occupation. But I will do my part. And I encourage everyone to do what they can. No small gesture is too small. Every little thing, every small moment, every good thought is an important contribution. Just imagine if things actually changed, even just a little at first. I hope this is the week where that possibility, that momentum became much more possible, much more strong and real.

_{my version of this land is your land, with footage  shot at Occupy Oakland, both during the week before the raid, and during the early morning raid}