OccupySF Police Raid Called Off, But Why?

Erin Sherbert

Stranger things have happened

​Early this morning, San Francisco police circled the OccupySF site on Justin Herman Plaza, donning helmets and batons, ready to raid the camp. But for some reason, after bringing in backup, the cops retreated a few hours later, calling off the planned raid.

We asked San Francisco police why the change of heart, but it seems not even they know what happened.

"I wish I had an answer, but I have no idea -- it's still early in the morning and I'm just waiting now to see what's going on and what happened," Officer Carlos Manfredi told us. "Maybe they saw it was peaceful and they decided they weren't going to do anything, but I honestly have no idea. I am hoping the chief and the mayor will explain it later, because your guess is as good as mine."

Or maybe they didn't want to suffer the PR nightmare Oakland now has.

Meanwhile, in Oakland, the tension between cops and Occupy Oakland remains high, with protesters now making plans for a citywide strike that would close the city down and send a strong message to the 1 percent.

Last night in Oakland, occupiers tore down fences that police had erected to block off their encampment after a Tuesday morning raid. Hundreds of protesters gathered at the Frank Ogawa Plaza, making plans to call for a citywide strike on Nov. 2. They are also planning a vigil tonight for Scott Olsen, a veteran marine who was critically injured by a police projectile in Tuesday night's violence.

Mayor Jean Quan is now in the hot seat amid the violence and police raids; more than 10,000 people have signed onto a petition calling on the mayor to put an end to the police raids and crackdown on Occupy Oakland. According to Oakland resident Shanelle Matthews, who initiated the petition, Quan, who changed course and is now allowing protesters back onto the plaza, has allowed for this destruction.

"Occupy Oakland was a peaceful gathering until Jean Quan sent riot police in to destroy the camps," said Matthews. "The violence inflicted on the protesters was completely unjustified. We just wanted to demonstrate our support for the 99 percent of Americans who are being hurt by our broken financial and political systems -- we didn't expect tear gas and concussion grenades."

Quan's Facebook page is filled with calls for her to resign over the Occupy Oakland raid.

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