NO MAS OCUPADO

Cleaning up in Oakland after yesterday's protests

As I was walking along Valencia Street yesterday, I once again found myself shaking my head at all the destruction left behind by the latest round of protests, and thinking this so-called Occupy Movement needs to just shut the fuck up and move on.

Following a rally in Dolores Park a few days back, a "splinter group" took it upon itself to vandalize cars and businesses along the 18th Street and Valencia Street corridor. Yesterday in Oakland, several business and their customers were terrorized by protesters. In one particular case, which was profiled on SFGate, protesters swarmed into a local business called The Bittersweet Cafe and screamed (according to the owner) "We're shutting you down; you're not supposed to be open today." When the owner told them the cafe was locally owned, they turned around and left. It was one of several cases where LOCAL businesses were forced to defend themselves, along with their employees and customers, against some self-appointed saviors of our society. 

Occupy Oakland's website described this action as "flying pickets to shut down Uptown & Downtown Business Associations" to protest gentrification.

Protest gentrification? Oh my god, gimme a break. More often than not, the only businesses who seem to be suffering at the hands of the "movement" are the local businesses. You know, the 99%'ers they claim to be fighting for.

Assholes.

One person who was interviewed on Valencia Street yesterday morning by a television reporter had something so perfectly to say about the situation:

"This morning, I couldn't go to my locally-owned coffee house for coffee or buy something to wear at my favorite locally-owned clothing store because of the damage they suffered last night, yet the large bank down the street is open for business. Isn't it the banks they're supposed to be pissed of at?"

Yes. Yes it is.