Occupy Oakland is target of protest

Ken Woolfe (left) became exasperated talking with Occupy members in front of City Hall. A rally by a group of people angered by the Occupy Oakland movement was joined by Occupy Oakland members and became confrontational. The Oakland Police also confiscated some audio equipment used by the movement in front of Oakland City Hall. less Ken Woolfe (left) became exasperated talking with Occupy members in front of City Hall. A rally by a group of people angered by the Occupy Oakland movement was joined by Occupy Oakland members and became ... more Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Occupy Oakland is target of protest 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A face-off between Occupy Oakland activists and members of a new group that formed to protest their tactics erupted Monday in front of Oakland City Hall, with both sides accusing each other of missing the point of the Occupy movement.

About 40 people identifying themselves as members of Stand for Oakland gathered at Frank Ogawa Plaza at noon to denounce what they said was violence and vandalism by Occupy Oakland protesters in recent weeks.

"I'm fed up with this movement," said Duad Abdullah, 51, an Oakland resident who said he has volunteered in city programs for more than 20 years. "It's fallen off to the negative side and hasn't brought about any change."

Abdullah and others said they sympathized with Occupy Oakland's focus on economic disparity, but said clashes with police had drained the city's scant resources. They cited in particular activists' trashing of parts of City Hall after a failed attempt Jan. 28 to take over the long-empty Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.

The Stand for Oakland group was outnumbered by more than 150 Occupy Oakland protesters. Several Occupy activists confronted the new group, saying any violence and property damage during their actions was in reaction to heavy-handedness by Oakland police.

They said police should save the city money by leaving them alone.

The Stand for Oakland rally participants made a point of getting a permit for their rally, drawing a contrast with Occupy Oakland. They included City Councilwoman Desley Brooks, who had briefly joined Occupy's encampment in its early days outside City Hall.

"They still haven't put forth an agenda that's beyond themselves," said Brooks, who differentiated between the larger movement and a handful of people she said had tarnished it. "What is it they're asking us to support? They're asking us to tolerate breaking into vacant buildings? For anyone else, that's straight-up criminal behavior."

Clash with police

Members of the Occupy group skirmished with police when officers ordered them to turn off a loudspeaker system, saying they had no permit and had sparked complaints.

Activists ignored the first warning, then protested that they were complying when officers in riot helmets moved in and snatched some of the equipment in a tug-of-war. While officers carried away an amplifier and speakers, a knot of activists managed to wrestle away a generator.

"It's another attempt to squash this movement," said Brian Glasscock, 20, who said he owned the confiscated gear. "It's like they don't even want us to talk about Occupy anymore."

Afterward, the Occupy and Stand for Oakland groups had different takes on what had happened - illustrating the varying views of how police have dealt with Occupy Oakland since its protests began nearly five months ago.

"I thought the police did what they had to do," said Marilyn Singleton, a 64-year-old doctor from Oakland who was with the Stand for Oakland group. "They can't let them run amok."

Valerie Carey, a 36-year-old Occupy Oakland activist who said she is looking for a job in community development, said the clash was an example of police repression.

'Too much force'

"They came in with too much force," she said. "We have a right to assemble."

After an hour, the Stand for Oakland activists left. The Occupy Oakland gathering marched to a nearby courthouse to denounce the prosecution of members of the group, including 11 protesters who were arraigned Monday on charges related to a demonstration in early January.