Occupy Oakland Protesters Shut Down City Hall
OAKLAND (KCBS) -- Oakland City Hall was shut down Thursday afternoon, after two dozen Occupy Oakland protesters tried to storm the building.
Members of Occupy Oakland's interfaith coalition called for protesters to take over the mayor's and city administrator's offices Thursday after police arrested 12 protesters in Frank Ogawa Plaza on Wednesday night.
After gathering at 2 p.m. at Frank Ogawa Plaza, protesters split up and tried to enter through the side doors on opposite sides of the building.
KCBS' Bob Butler Reports:
They banged on the doors on the 14th Street side, and demanded to be let in. A man came to the door and told the protesters that someone would come out and talk to them, but that they had to "calm down."
The protesters then tried to push their way through the doors but were blocked and the doors locked again.
Occupy Oakland has been holding a daily vigil in the plaza since Nov. 29, after police dismantled encampments in the plaza and elsewhere in Oakland.
They were granted a permit to erect a teepee in the space, provided it was removed at 10 p.m. each night. The protesters could then rebuild the teepee each morning at 6 a.m.
However, the city revoked the protesters' permit earlier this week, saying the protesters had violated many of the permit's conditions, such as by storing personal belongings in the plaza, including sleeping bags and food, erecting garbage cans and distributing food without health permits.
Legal representatives for Occupy Oakland maintain the group has not violated the permit conditions.
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