Eye witness to the fatal shooting @ Occupy Oakland

A man was shot and killed the other day near the Occupy Oakland camp. Of course the police, the city and the media are going to use it as more evidence that the camp should be closed. Did you ever think they wouldn't?

Early the next day the police were back to issue eviction notices. Again I returned home from work to the sound of helicopters flying overhead. Truly I feel as though I live in a war zone! 

The  Oakland Police Officer's Association issued an open letter siting that the camp is pulling officers away from crime-plagued neighborhoods.

"With last night's homicide, in broad daylight, in the middle of rush hour, Frank Ogawa Plaza is no longer safe," the letter said. "Please leave peacefully, with your heads held high, so we can get police officers back to work fighting crime in Oakland neighborhoods."

City Council President Larry Reid said outside City Hall on Friday that the shooting was further proof the tents must come down. He was confronted by a protester who said he wouldn't be in office much longer.

"You didn't elect me," Reid snapped back. "You probably ain't even registered to vote!"

Here's an eyewitness report

Citizen Reporter Describes Fatal Shooting Near Occupy Oakland Encampment

OfftheBus contributor Aimee Allison reports the scene at Occupy Oakland Thursday night, when a young man was shot and killed near the group's encampment. Here's her story.

So far this year, there have been 109 victims of murder on the streets of Oakland. Today, I am sad to say that I witnessed one more.

It was the eve of this historic Veterans Day, 11/11/11. I was headed to "Oscar Grant Plaza" at 4:30 pm to catch up with veterans that have made the camp their home in the last month. They organized a march. I was expecting a party, announced by organizers to celebrate Occupy Oakland's one-month anniversary. Instead, there was pure chaos.

As I entered the plaza from Telegraph Avenue, a stampede of young teens ran past me screaming that someone had been shot, "Get away! Somebody's been shot!" On the plaza, I saw tonight's victim, a young black man, lying prone at the foot of a lamp post, his dreadlocks splayed on the pavement. His head rested in a pool of blood. His skinny, limp body was surrounded by a confused and increasingly agitated crowd. I now know from subsequent news reports that the young man was 22-year-old Alex, who had slept the past few nights at the encampment. As I saw him tonight, he was tiny and fragile. Broken in his jeans and t-shirt. The plaza was eerily quiet, save for a lone woman crying in the corner.

I screamed for someone to call 9-1-1, but was unable to get close to the injured man. At this point, there were still no visible police or medics on the scene. A few people formed a blockade around Alex and demanded that no one take photos. I was among many who called 9-1-1, demanding that an ambulance come immediately. After hanging up, I noticed several people gathered around Alex attempting to stop the bleeding and to perform CPR.

Despite the warnings, I took out my phone to video the event. Suddenly, three men surrounded me, shoved and punched me to the ground. One of the men grabbed my phone and threw it down on the paving stones. I would describe him as being 5'8", dark-skinned man with short hair. After shoving me, he turned to KGO-TV cameraman Randy Davis, joining a group of 20 others attacking him and forcing him over the railing of the 14th Street BART station. In the melee, my driver's license and credit card were lost.

As I stood alone, shaken and crying, a protester approached me and returned my phone, along with words of apology. A later interview with an Occupy camper revealed that the victim had only recently joined the encampment. He'd argued with another in the food line. The assailant apparently called his cousin and three others from the neighborhood and they came ready to kill. And they killed Alex.

When asked if the shooting was the responsibility of Occupy Oakland movement, I have to say "No." Yes, the men involved were eating and the victim was sleeping at the camp, but these individuals were not the advocates for political change and Wall Street accountability demanded by the Occupy Wall Street movement. They came to find food and shelter. And they brought everyday, inner-city desperation and violence to center stage.

I'm Just Sayin!