I'm very grateful that this morning's effort  went so smoothly and peacefully.

We're here this morning because Occupy Oakland has taken on a different direction from the national movement. It was no longer about the abuses of the financial institutions, foreclosures and to the unemployed.

At the encampment we've had repeated violence, we've had a murder. I don't want any more people to die before this comes to an end.

The encampment has been a tremendous drain on our city. During one of the recent demonstrations, we had 179  public safety calls for service that went unanswered because of the demonstrations downtown.

We've had increased drug dealing, sexual assaults, all of this was occurring in a one-square block encampment. This is not what Occupy Wall Street is about.

In addition to the violence at Frank Ogawa Plaza, the city cannot afford for our small businesses and vibrant downtown to lose hundreds of jobs and nearly half of their patrons.

For weeks now we've been trying to meet with the organizers of the encampment and there is no clear agenda or demands. We remain one of the only cities that has not had a representative committee to work with.

Our community's already strained resources-- our police, our public works and other city services --have been pulled away from serving Oakland residents who ARE the 99%.

We took every step we could to resolve this peacefully. We planned the removal as carefully as we could and made repeated attempts to make sure that all campers who wanted to leave voluntarily had the opportunity to do so. We met with multiple groups during the last week. And we are grateful that many took advantage of the opportunity to leave peacefully.

I also want to thank the many churches and community groups who stepped up to offer alternative housing and to encourage the camp to close peacefully.

As the Mayor of Oakland in this very difficult situation, I've tried to do what is right for the City and for the safety of our people at every step. I am asking for people, even those who disagree with this decision--to respect the City's right to close the encampment and for demonstrators not to engage in destructive acts. It is time for us to work together on the issues that unite us.

I want to thank the Alameda County Mutual Aid police departments and our own police, public works staff and other city staff who have also worked hard to keep this peaceful.


Jean Quan
Mayor of Oakland

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