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"We are Confused" | Oakland Police Officer's Association Open Letter to the Citizens of Oakland
This is NOT an Onion piece. The letter below is actually coming out of Oakland Police Officer’s Association…
An Open Letter to the Citizens of Oakland from the Oakland Police Officer’s Association
1 November 2011 – Oakland, Ca.
We represent the 645 police officers who work hard every day to protect the citizens of Oakland. We, too, are the 99% fighting for better working conditions, fair treatment and the ability to provide a living for our children and families. We are severely understaffed with many City beats remaining unprotected by police during the day and evening hours.
As your police officers, we are confused.
On Tuesday, October 25th, we were ordered by Mayor Quan to clear out the encampments at Frank Ogawa Plaza and to keep protesters out of the Plaza. We performed the job that the Mayor’s Administration asked us to do, being fully aware that past protests in Oakland have resulted in rioting, violence and destruction of property.
Then, on Wednesday, October 26th, the Mayor allowed protesters back in – to camp out at the very place they were evacuated from the day before.
To add to the confusion, the Administration issued a memo on Friday, October 28th to all City workers in support of the “Stop Work” strike scheduled for Wednesday, giving all employees, except for police officers, permission to take the day off.
That’s hundreds of City workers encouraged to take off work to participate in the protest against “the establishment.”
But aren’t the Mayor and her Administration part of the establishment they are paying City employees to protest? Is it the City’s intention to have City employees on both sides of a skirmish line?
It is all very confusing to us.
Meanwhile, a message has been sent to all police officers: Everyone, including those who have the day off, must show up for work on Wednesday. This is also being paid for by Oakland taxpayers. Last week’s events alone cost Oakland taxpayers over $1 million.
The Mayor and her Administration are beefing up police presence for Wednesday’s work strike they are encouraging and even “staffing,” spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars for additional police presence – at a time when the Mayor is also asking Oakland residents to vote on an $80 parcel tax to bail out the City’s failing finances.
All of these mixed messages are confusing.
We love Oakland and just want to do our jobs to protect Oakland residents. We respectfully ask the citizens of Oakland to join us in demanding that our City officials, including Mayor Quan, make sound decisions and take responsibility for these decisions. Oakland is struggling – we need real leaders NOW who will step up and lead – not send mixed messages. Thank you for listening.
SOURCE: Oakland Police Officer’s Association
www.4closureFraud.org
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http://theintelhub.com/2011/10/27/bp-oil-spill-whistleblowers-and-experts-continue-to-mysteriously-die/
BP Oil Spill Whistleblowers And Experts Continue To Mysteriously Die
Cops are 1%r's without the pay....!!!
How dumb can you be...???
To Serve and Protect - the State
http://mises.org/daily/5651
Also recommended linked article from above:
http://www.voluntaryist.com/backissues/123.pdf
That do have a job [and in cases a bit of courage] Bankster...can you say the same?
How outrageous. You expect your elected politicians to act responsibly, protect the citizen's interest, be consistent in their application of law and policy, and stand behind their decisions once they are made? Get real. What planet are you from anyway? These are politicians we are talking about here - liberal ones at that. Your demands are completely unreasonable, and you should be ashamed to even suggest such ideas.
/snark off
We just had our Oakland wake up call last night here in Durango, Colorado.
It has been a tradition in this collage town for the kids to do what they call a "zombie walk" down the main street at midnight on Halloween night. In past years it was always just good fun and the kids would clear the streets in a hour or so and go home. The cops never got this military or aggressive in past years.
On this night of October 31, 2011 the small Colorado town saw the military shooting innocent kids for walking across the street.
There was a significant amount of belligerence from the drunken revelers, but what can you expect from a town that promotes public drunkenness on main street during all the various fairs and festivals they have in a collage town.
There were many who were maced and shot, pounded down and beaten. Eyewitnesses said they were just sitting on the ground and some cop went by the crowd and maced them all on the ground as they sat. She held up the mace canister discarded by the offender thug cop up in her hand that clearly said, it is a felony to use the stuff unless you are defending yourself.
Another girl was carried away by friends screaming in pain. Later there were mass arrests and violence as the thugs of durango's military, along with sheriffs, and durango city cops let this town know the new world order corporation of evil and violence is here in small town america.
Here is the still breaking news story:
http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20111101/NEWS01/711019923/0/FRONTPA...
And this video that is dark and has a lot of cussing it it.:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjpZ-uCPqWg
Soon, this will be coming to a theater near you!
I was there and it was horrible to see those drunk kids shot and maced like that. Is this the change they all voted for? Neighbor against neighbor all for the sake of the corporations and banks? What are those cowardly cops going to do when those kids show up equally armed and very angry? Who will fire the first shot heard around the world?
http://www.examiner.com/zombie-in-denver/22-zombies-arrested-durango-col...
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/29652756/detail.html
MSM spin pepper spray the zombies!
"Is this the change they all voted for?"
Yes, it is exactly the change they voted for only they didn't understand that at the time and were high on all that hopium.
Public servant = one who is served by the public.
Sorry shills, but when you work for the 1% you are most definitely NOT part of the 99%. At least not while you are on duty. Have you forgotten that the 99% ALSO have guns? Do you think the people will stop at peaceful protest when things only get worse? The ONLY advantage the people have is that we outnumber the 1%, and you'd better believe that the giant is starting to awaken. While the OWS protests are mis-guided at best, infiltrated at worst, they are a sign of things to come. Better learn how to take a bullet BITCHEZ!
Open Letter? It sounds more like caught Pigs squealing.
Morons are usually easily confused, but please dont be confused by this, your pensions are worthless and the community hates you.
Dear Confused,
I am very pleased to learn that you understand that you are confused.
I understand that Hitler's stormtroopers were rarely confused. This allowed them to be very efficient while killing innocent people. This was not good for innocent people.
May I suggest that you attempt to understand the source of your confusion. You think you are supposed to help people, you think you are supposed to obey orders, and you think the government is a force for good. One or more of these beliefs is inconsistent.
Decide whether you want to be a decent human being and act like one or whether you want to be a Nazi stormtrooper. Once you have done this, you will not be confused.
Sincerely,
Comrade Pravda
P.S. Among your ranks there are psychopaths, and they like to hurt people. If you are not a pyschopath, see that the psychopaths are not allowed to be in the police.
Bonus Points: Once upon a time, the United States had something that was a reasonable facsimile to Rule of Law. Learn what Rule of Law is and attempt to reintroduce Rule of Law to this country. Upon understanding this, you may discover that you should be standing with the people who are occupying.
You rang?
In all seriousness. I'm interested in seeing what happens if the police ever figure out that they are, in fact, part of the 99%. Then perhaps they can get back to doing what was originally their charge. Serving and protecting the public. Not acting as revenue agents/publicly paid security force.
I am from Oakland, though being from there doesn't keep me from being not confused. This open letter implies essential public servants like the police, the fire department and the public hospital didn't need to remain functional. Not confusing is that while the Oakland political leadership generally supports OWS, protesters do get out of hand sometimes and the police need to maintain order. Also, Oakland, like many other cities, is facing financial difficulties which affects the police department budget. The subtext here is, I think, the police department appealing to the conservative element (what little there is of that in Oakland) for support in maintaining their pay and benefit levels. Oakland is a tough town, and I think they earn every cent they make most of the time, but they have always used every means they have to get the best contract possible. The other thing going on is it made national news when one of them brained that peaceful demonstrator marine with a tear gas cannister. Was tear gas necessary at that point? Part of the message in this open letter is a defense of the general group opinion that it was. I doubt this letter improved the public perception of them. Oakland is not, for the most part, conservative. The Kent State guardsmen would not have walked if those killings had happened in Oakland.
Oakland is a tough town, and I think they earn every cent they make most of the time
Not sure about "every cent" but it's a tough job and tough town. I don't see why cops should be retiring with better benefits than military--but that's a local decision and the local governments are responsible for authorizing those pay/benefit packages.
And the tear gas cannister that "brained" Olsen was fired from a launcher. The mayor and DA should press to identify and prosecute the shooter or they have no legitimacy.
For perspective, I always thought Meserle shot Oscar Grant by accident, I believe he was trying to taze him. I think that was unwarranted and consituted excess force in itself. So killing him was an accident--on the other hand, you don't get to be that stupid with a firearm so I thought the court got it about right with the manslaughter charge. I think this is much worse--after watching the video a dozen or so times I believe this was deliberate: attempted murder seems about right. There was no threat to cops and the range was 20 feet or less. The way that cop with the shoulder weapon slipped back from the front line after the shot was fired . . . Who was he? Was he an Oakland cop? Were there Feds there?
Attempting to tazer a man that has been cooperative, sat quietly with other guys, and was lying flat on ground with several cops over him is crazy and is so not how tasters arms trained to be used.
In the confusing gun for taser, I have a hard time buying that, if you have done much target practice with you issued gun, how does the taser not feel,different, whe you undo the safety, how do you. It notice the difference. Now if he had a a crazy man with a knife coming at him and he was reaching for taser in panic,thats one thing, but police had the situation with grant and the other guys around them in hand, he had many cops around him, this was no panic moment.
However, hard to know one way or another, so without knowing intent, manslaughter is about the best you can do beyond a reasonable doubt.
However, this is not how ordinary citizens would be evaluated if they killed a cop.
A guy leaving abar at 2 am in MN got chased by a drunk plain clothes cop(twice the legal limit), the cop was supposedly chasing him with gun drawn because he peed in the street, but no one could confirm the cop ever identified himself as a cop, a he was a drunk at a bar at 2 am, so as he went down street chasing guy with gun, guy shot back and killed cop. Guy is in prison for life, not manslaughter, not self defense.
Man that is a sad story--would have had a different end in Texas--somebody here quoted a Texas law that said a citizen had a right to use deadly force to defend himself from police acting like that.
I think the Oakland Police should respond in kind.
When they are hit with rocks and bottles, they should have their own stash of bottles and return fire.
If a protester shits on their car. They should go to the camp and take a dump on a tent.
They should also repeat childish slogans when the protesters yell at them.
And so on.
are you the whole ass or just the hole?
I can appreciate the letter. I can also also discount some degree of sincerity and would have wished it contained a moderate apology for some of the unnecessary, possibly deadly violence. The Association of Police Chiefs should send an open letter to the Mayors and Governors to make it clear that the police are public servants and only on patrol to protect life, limb and property. The police are not a personal tool of office holders.
I agree. I'm confused Oakland police officers how come when one of your officers commit a crime in and out of uniform they don't get charged like a regular person (if as you say your a regular individual like the rest of us). I'm confused Oakland police officers why is it that you defend the bad apples in your dept., when you should make an example of them so that the rank and file know what will and will not be tolerated. I'm confused Oakland Police officers how come a police officer who have to have training with tear gas would fire a tear gas bomb point blank range at the head of a person when that can kill someone. They are usually fired to the ground or lobbed. I'm also confused why did you and your brethren use rubber bullets (which can also kill and maim) to break up this demonstration.
I think I have the answer to my confusion Oakland Police officers, and that is your the praetorian guard for the establishment. Have you ever wondered why is it that the police will continue to defend even when the military have decided not to defend the state anymore against it's people. And the police in this country and others will defend it no matter what is being done to them and their families. I bet anything if the police just laid down and said no we won't do it, the politicians would be going crazy and get scared. They the police think that they will be safe and secure in their retirement and position, they are wrong. The will use them until they can't and then get rid of you, will you scream this isn't fair, this isn't fair.
Of course it's not fair, that was the plan all along. You where the useful idiot of your own demise.
sorry oakland pig department. you are not part of the 99%. you are the frontline of protection for the 1%. that makes you a 1%er. maiming a vet at point blank range and not outing the perp confirms your 1% status.
WHO SHOT SCOTT?
Maiming a vet? Are you f'n kidding me! If it were a real police department, the "vet" (they come cheap these days I suppose) wouldn't have any teeth left.
But then again, you're a faggot hippie that likes to hide behind those with the balls to actually do something!
And while at it, OPA, while trying to cover up the shit pile...
Suggest you research : Nuremberg Trials...
"Just following orders..." is no excuse for bad behaviour..!!
And many good, career Officers agree..!
Every person has to take responsibiliy for him (her) self..!!
Personal Integrity = Honour..
Agreed. Also, correct me if I'm wrong but, I don't believe you need to ask your masters permission to join the general strike.
As a matter of fact one might say that's the whole f*cking point.
And who lobbed the flash grenade into the group trying to help him!?!?
Official cracks are appearing in the establishment. Not just in Oakland.
Dear Pigs,
It's simple. You either support and protect the rights of citizens or you support and protect the tyrannical establishment. Pick a side, the winds of revolution are on the horizon and compassion will be in short supply for the oppressors......
dear Oakland Police Officers Association:
by and large i don't think playing dumb playing 'confused' is the right response. Mayor Quan asked oakland police to clear out ogawa plaza, she didn't stipulate that the police shoot gas canisters in the vet's head cracking his skull. good gracious a iraq war vet what the hell were you thinking? that's like pissing n shiiting on the american flag burn it up and go 'na na na' to provoke the protesters. you'd have better luck just arresting the protesters, citing them on irrelevant and archaic laws/city codes (sarcasm)
as police officers you have failed to protect the public from financial crimes where's your sense of duty and responsibility? where is the outrage? you suggested that police officers are among the 99% it's time for you to act like it.
Sincerely yours
just another concerned citizen
The rank-and-file police have nothing to do with protecting the public from financial crimes, unless you're talking about a common mugging or burglary. The white collar crimes are supposed to be prosecuted by others, unless the perp is a friend of the administration. In that case there is no crime to be prosecuted.
Further, to expect the mayor to specify the means of clearing out the park is unrealistic. There are supposed to be limits to how far the police can go, but a mayor is not the proper authority to say "don't hit anyone with a tear gas canister". That would be like Obama telling Holder to let guns get sold to drug cartels, but just don't let anyone get hurt.
Actually in Oakland they don't respond to mugging or burglary either--as a matter of policy after the layoffs.
I agree about the mayor being in the dark but I don't believe she had a right to be in the dark.
By "don't hit anyone with a tear gas cannister" you mean don't shoot anyone in the face with a tear gas cartridge right? That's kind of like: don't commit a felony. But we don't know if it was an Oakland cop who did that.
Does any remember the clip zerohedge ran of a interview with a writer who was covering OWS and had seen first hand other governments fall because of movements like this. He spoke about the end game being when the "Blue shirts" (police) begin to question the establishment and stop enforcing their leaders orders. I cann't find the story.
You might mean this one. The interview with Chris Hedges that was aired on Max Keiser. Sorry if I'm wrong....
http://maxkeiser.com/2011/10/19/chris-hedges-this-one-could-take-them-all-down/
This is a ruse- a bullshit bureaucratic Union propaganda piece.
Josef Goebbels would be ashamed at the rank amateurishness of it.
"Hey... we were just following orders"
-Just like the good little public educated, indoctrinated, flouridated, and militarily trained simpletons you are.
The guy that ran the trains to Auschwitcz also collected a paycheck for "doing his duty and following orders"
If you Oakland cops want to be part of the 99%- then ignore your "order to be working" and get your asses on the other side of that line.
Oh- and go join oath-keepers, and put the Constitution and personal, private liberty FIRST on your list of priorities.... Jackasses.
Good advice . . . except for oathkeepers.
I have not seen them speak out on this. Unless I have missed it, that would strongly suggest they are nothing more than an adolescent vanity club committed only to circle jerks around a hot fold-out of the constitution.
Face it: This is the very shit they claimed to be dedicated to preventing. It's supposedly their reason for existing.
This is it.
Where the fuck are they?
"Oath Keepers sees good reason to stand in the streets with these awakening souls and protect their right to free speech, to peacefully assemble, and to redress their grievances to their government, as the Constitution prescribes for all Americans. That is one thing. Another facet of our initiative is to use these public gatherings to reach and teach many who now hunger for the truth – we can show them how the Constitution will protect them better than an oversized, bloated Federal behemoth hell-bent on controlling every aspect of each citizen’s life."
http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2011/10/05/oath-keepers-and-the-wayseers-to-...
They are also involved with http://occupythefednow.com/
http://ocoathkeepers.wordpress.com/announcements/
Dont let them divide us just becasue they dont cover something
If they're not standing up for what they claim to be about--refusing to follow unconstitutional orders to harm their countrymen--I don't care what the fuck they think or do about anything. Why should I?
Remember, that's what the "oath" in "oathkeepers" is about?
Without that, they have no particular legitimacy of any kind. Actually, they have less moral legitimacy than homeless people, in my book, if they don't stand up publicly against what's going on. And I'm not talking about the Fed.
Without that, they're just another clever special interest group that just happens to be in uniform preening with the constitution and whispering sweet nothings into our ears.
That "divides" nothing except bullshitters from enjoying the undeserved social benefits of their bullshit.
You are 100% correct Bob
I made a mistake and thought the question was directed at Oath Keepers and OWS and not the Oakland police. Even though after reading it again it was obvious.
I went looking from some shred of evidence that Oath Keepers had spoken out of the Oakland PD and its tactics and nothing ... another morally bankrupt organization and another shell game
The moral of the story is to keep your group small. Very good friends you have known a long time, or close family members. Be wary of late arrivals and new faces. Network your group with others... read up on "cell" theory and keep your interactions to a minimum. Four old men, all late 60's early 70's, just got stung in Georgia over a supposed terrorist plot. Smells like another one of those Hutaree esq false flags.
That is a VERY salient observation...
what a bunch of disengenous bullshit. If a group of cops themselves wrote a letter and said, hey, we were just following orders, we are saddened people we unneccesarily hurt etc, I would have some sympathy from them...because the colossal failure was not the order to evacuate the park, but how they went about in a most unprofessional way. The police leadership is the one whining above, and its police leadership that failed.
If they had moved in slowly patiently during daylight and the crowd got mobbish, rioty...they could have pulled back and told the mayor, we will not be able to evacuate without a messy fight, what now?
Instead, they came in tear gas guns and flash bang grenades a blazing, just as they have always treated the black community there.
Imagine their surprise when they behave the way the always have against black community, but this time they couldn't smear the protestors as thugs, vicious hoodlums and they got in trouble for what they have been doing their whole career.
See how the WI police operated with the WI protest, occupation of the Capitol. Their emphasis was on safety of everyone, protestors and regular citizens. They avoided riot by cop by not being heavy handed or stupid.
Well, the reason for the confusion is obvious. Local governments must simultaneously listen to their banker masters' voices, yet at the same time provide patronizing gestures of compromise to remain in office and keep the citizenry from burning shit to the ground.
Taxpayer money is collateral damage. Better spent on cops and a US revolt than a European bailout.
I am sorry to hear that they are confused. The mayor certainly isn't helping things.
On the other hand, this letter is totally about another issue and does not relate to the other matter at hand, which is the actions of the police force against the OWS crowd.
Regardless of the political and legal history of the OWS protesting individuals who were on site, and their orders, the police violated the rights of a number of individuals and performed felonious acts of premeditated attempted murder.
I won't stand for and support the substance of what those individuals where protesting for, but I will defend to the death their right to stand and protest. Based on my observations Oakland Law Enforcement broke the law intentionally a number of times and those responsible need to be prosecuted.
sounds like you need to get with the program - take the day off and hang with the protesters and speak up - and DO leave the uniforms and weapons at home
the police is making a choice.Next one will be to side with the protester and put down the gun.they begin to get it right.....they also are part of the 99%
This may be the beginning of the awakening of the military branch of the establisment .
Next...
I hope you're right.
Next time you just run them over using your tanks instead. Make your kids be proud of you.
The point is: the politicians - all Lefties - are playing both sides against the middle. And the Police are caught in the middle and don't like it. And I don't blame 'em. All the "Mayor Quan"'s (sez all) of America, and their bankster masters, need to be hit in the face with a grenade.