Hold Oakland police accountable!
To: cityadministrator@oaklandnet.com, pkernighan@oaklandnet.com, nnadel@oaklandnet.com, idelafuente@oaklandnet.com, dbrooks@oaklandnet.com
Mayor Jean Quan & Council, City of Oakland, 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612
Mayor Quan and Councillors:
I live in British Columbia, Canada, and have had the pleasure of visiting Oakland and the Bay Area on several occasions as a tourist. I have enjoyed fine dining and theatre in Oakland. As an artist and photographer, I have derived inspiration from your region’s natural beauty and cultural offerings.
However, I join with the international community in outrage over the Oakland police force’s brutal treatment of the Occupy participants. These are peaceful, unarmed people from all walks of life, including teachers, nurses, secretaries, artists, book club members, soccer moms, journalists, bike commuters, retirees, and software engineers.
Particularly distressing is the widely publicized case of Scott Olsen, a former U.S. marine who has served twice in Iraq. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, video footage verifies Olsen being knocked to the ground at 14th Street & Broadway after police lobbed what may have been a tear gas canister in his direction. When his friends came to his aid, the police tossed another canister in Olsen’s direction. He is in serious condition in hospital with a fractured skull and may require brain surgery.
All the world is watching Oakland. It is unlikely that I will make Oakland my tourist destination again, thanks to your City’s violent treatment of its peacefully-assembled residents.
I ask what action you are going to take as Mayor, to hold your police officers accountable for the widespread human rights violations they have perpetrated in recent days. Will you enact immediate measures to ensure the safety and freedom of the Occupiers? Your police’s conduct is inexcusable and has turned away this tourist.
Yours truly
Anne Hansen, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8V 1B3
"Oystercatchers #244" (San Francisco Oystercatchers), by Anne Hansen (36" x 60")
