70 Occupy Protester Arrested in Raid at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco

The Occupy Wall Street protester in San Francisco who took over Justin Herman Plaza in mid-October was raided and dismantled by police on December 7, 2011 in the early morning. The Occupy leadership and city official’s negotiations had broken down. City officials declared it to be public safety and health hazard; they had enough after what happened on December 3, 2011 the incident with the two protesters and the police officer who was hit in the face guard with a metal chair resulting in minor injuries. It seems to me you always have some stupid person who decides to throw a chair or something else, causing a non-violent protest to become violent this makes the majority of the protesters seems bad. When in actuality the protest is for a good cause. Now the Occupy San Francisco movement has to find another place to protest, they were offered a school at 16^th and Mission, but they could not come together on whether to relocate. I think they should have taking the offer, at least they would have had a safe place to plan their tragedy to keep on protesting what they believed in bank bailouts and economic injustice. Actions of a two cause harm to the many!

LM

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/12/07/occupy-sf-encampment-raided-dozens-arrested/

One Year Old Boy Shot In the Head in Oakland

On Tuesday November 29, 2011 there was another violent shooting in Oakland California, where a rap music video was being filmed. Twenty people gathered outside of State Market liquor store in West Oakland, including a one year old baby boy who was held by his father Hiram Lawrence. When gunmen started shooting, Hiram Lawrence was shot in the hand and his one year old son was shot in the head. Seven other people were shot a man and women were critically wounded, other five people did not sustain serious injury. Out of the twenty people who were there nobody has come forward to help the police find out who the shooters were. My sympathy goes out to the family of the one year old, but what I don’t get is why did Hiram Lawrence would have is one year old son at a rap music video shoot. People in the video were posing with liquor bottles in front of the store this is clearly not an atmosphere for any child. That little baby boy should not have been there. Our children are our future, children are very perceptive they watch and see everything. If they grow up seeing the violence they are more than likely to think this way a life is the normal and continue the cycle. I hope the Oakland Police Department find the persons who shot into the coward of people these individuals need to be taking off the streets of Oakland.

LM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/29/oakland-shooting_n_1117908.html

Occupy Wall Street Movement Protester Being Pepper Sprayed

Non-violet Occupy Wall Street protesters being pepper sprayed at UC Davis in Sacramento California. I was watching this on the news I could not believe the one officer, he was walking back a forth like he was spraying a bunch of weeds. All they were doing was sitting on the side walk with their arms locked not confrontational, the amount of pepper spray he was using was excessive. If they were in the officer face screaming, hollering and advancing toward the officer then I could see using pepper spray. This is happening in other cities all over the United States in Seattle Washington an 84 year old woman and a pregnant woman were pepper sprayed. In New York City Occupy Wall Street protesters were pepper sprayed by police. Although in Oakland California the Occupy encampment was disbanded peacefully two times by police, the police vowed it won’t rise again. What if it does? Are the people of Oakland going to be pepper sprayed, like in Sacramento, New York City and Seattle, Washington? The Occupied movement is going strong and I don’t see it going away any time soon. I think if the police keep pepper spraying non-violet protesters the people are going to start fighting back, things will get ugly and one wants that.

LM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/uc-davis-pepper-spray-and-the-power-of-nonviolent-witness/2011/11/22/gIQAx6RslN_blog.html

http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/11/16/369544/seattle-pepper-spray-everyone/

http://www.mercurynews.com/occupy-oakland/ci_19336178

Domestic Violence Shelters in the Bay Area are Struggling

All over the Bay Area domestic violence shelters are struggling to meet the needs of women who have no where to turn. Budget cuts in cities like San Jose, San Mateo, Fremont, Oakland and San Francisco are causing these shelters to turn people away and these shelters are staying full for a year or more. This woman Melissa Strawn and her two boys, tried to seek refugee in a San Jose shelter, but they were full the only bed in the 97 shelters through out the bay area was in Concord. It is a shame the governments in cities not just in San Jose, San Francisco, Fremont and Oakland, all over the United States cut services that people need so desperately. That is why we need more affordable housing and jobs. I think if the government would give big business and small more of an incentive  to hire and to keep their business in the United States just maybe we would not be in the situation were in now. What do you think will fix this situation?

LM

http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_19258359?source=rss

Major Banks Will Not Charge Debit Card Fees

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I say yes! It is working. The major banks Wells Fargo, Chase and Bank of America with their greed were going to charge the consumers a fee for using their debit cards when they make a purchase. I am a Bank of America customer and I was getting ready to close my account and go some where else; because to pay five dollars every time I used my debit card is unacceptable. I use my debit at least four times a week that is twenty dollars. I don’t have eighty dollars to be giving Bank of America once a month. The Wall Street Occupy movement is protesting this kind of greed from the big banks, but the consumer threatened to withhold their business from the big banks and it worked. Wells Fargo, Chase and Bank of America are backing off from charging the three and five dollars debit card fees. The consumer said were not having it, you greedy S.O.B’s. The Occupy all over America is taking hold in cities like Oakland, San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose and I see it getting bigger and bigger.

LM

http://news.yahoo.com/banks-cave-debit-card-fees-victory-occupy-095100911.html

Occupy Wall Street Movement In Cities All Over America

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It is about time! People all over America are saying ENOUGH! Is ENOUGH! They are protesting some of the wealthiest executives in America jeering, “Tax the rich!” and “Where’s my bailout?” Protesters have been arrested in Washington D.C. for protesting inside a U.S. Senate office Building. In Northern California the Bay Area is starting its movement. The San Jose Occupy Wall Street protesters are remaining polite while they receive citations. Mayor Chuck Reed on Tuesday said he hopes the protesters have an impact on the Obama administration’s willingness “to do something about the lying, stealing and cheating going on in Wall Street, “ he said. “I didn’t hear anybody out there complaining about Apple making big profits, “he said. “So it’s not just corporate greed in general. It’s a little more targeted than that. “San Jose Mayor Reed said San Jose filed a law suit against some Wall Street investment banks for “ripping us off on some bond issuances. “ A city official in Oakland has joined the Occupy Wall Street cause to show solidarity to the cause. New York protesters are demonstrating outside buildings of Rupert Murdoch media mogul, Jamie Dimon JP Chase Chairman and CEO and David Koch oil tycoon where they have homes. The Occupy Wall Street protesters in San Francisco protested in front of the Federal Reserve Bank. In San Ramon protesters, protested the government’s subsidization of Big Oil companies at the Chevron’s corporate headquarters. Palo Alto and Walnut Creek are protesting against banks, because of the bail out they received. Some Republicans are accusing the demonstrators of wagging a “class war.” If they would open their eyes they would see that the economy is not going to improve if they keep trying to keep it the way it has been for years people want to work. I am a person who feels that everyone should pay their fair share of taxes. It doesn’t matter if your rich or poor you should pay what you owe. It is not fair for the rich to keep getting rich just because the government has had this 2 percent “millionaires” tax for years. It is well over due to end this is a outrageous tax and stop given the wealthy and the corporation any more tax breaks and bail outs. It is time for a New Deal, people should be taxed according to what they make and not given breaks because their rich…

LM 

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_19091989?source=rss

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_19095538?source=pkg

Bay Area Loses Two Similiar Icons!

The world, our nation, and the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Area lost two of its legendary, iconic leaders this past week....as Apple Computer Founder/CEO 'Steve Jobs' passed away Wednesday at his home in Palo Alto, California at the age of 56, while Oakland Raiders Owner Al Davis died Saturday, less than 40-miles away at his home in Piedmont, California at the age of 82.

Though separated in age by 26-years, both were known as short-tempered, tyrannical mavericks who out-worked their employees, and out-gutt fought anyone standing in the way of their progress, thus paving the paths by which these two un-common genius's pioneered and revolutionized their respective industries on a world-wide scale!

Davis helped mold and grow the National Football League into a titanic industry, while steam rolling the Raiders into one of the winning est sports franchises of its age, while Jobs spear-headed world technology by launching the personal computer, and enhancing our way of listening to music and viewing film animation.

Both Davis and Jobs were born years ahead of their time, suffering no fools in their relentless pursuit of success, each possessing an un-matched eye for talented personnel, and strict intolerance for anything less!

This left un-admirable impressions on their many detractors, however, both men had their soft sides....each revealing charity, support, and un-matched generosity, which neither Davis nor Jobs called attention to--and both strongly rewarded loyalty, not just from employees and friends, but from all people who surrounded and supported them!

While it's well documented that Davis and Jobs made numerous enemies of those they trampled on their way up, I had a chance to meet and work with both of these leaders at different times over the past 25-years, and to me....their personalities were anything but arrogant, viscous, destructive or tyrannical!

As a limo driver from 1995 thru 2001 I chauffeured Jobs and his family (wife Loreen and three children, Reed, Erin, and Eve), along with many of his corporate executives, managers, and top-name celebrities who visited him either at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California, or at his home in Palo Alto. 

Like most of them, Jobs was nothing short of kind, caring, thoughtful, and thorough....far from the impatient, "whipper-snapper" I'd so often heard about!

I remember driving he and wife Loreen to San Francisco for the premier of "Toy Story-2" (Jobs was also Founder and CEO of 'Pixar Animation'), and as they conversed in the back seat of my sedan, I noticed his deep, romantic affection for Loreen, and their shared, mutual love and nurturing thoughts concerning their children.

Jobs was more a romantic than a dictator, and though his perfectionist, hands-on approach often led him to bark out orders (even in limousines), he never issued more than a polite suggestion to me.

I especially recall his happy, smiling mood one night wearing a tuxedo in 1997, after I drove him home and congratulated him upon being RE-appointed Apple's Chief Executive. (I only wish I'd bought more apple stock then!)

As for meeting Al Davis for the first time, it was intimidating, especially since I grew up a true Raider fanatic, and was more or less ordered to approach him after he spoke at the 'Nugget" Hotel-Casino in Carson City, Nevada.

In 1982 I was a TV cameraman shooting for the NBC affiliate in Reno, and we (my reporter and I) were there covering the Nevada State Legislature...when out of nowhere we stumble onto this press luncheon hosting the legendary Raider Boss.

My reporter immediately urged me to "get up there and grab him for a one-on-one interview", and I just happened to be wearing my silver and black windbreaker with white striped lining, and he immediately locked onto THAT....as I moved toward him.

He was very kind and cordial to me but said, "no thanks, not right now. I really like that jacket though--you must be a Raid-ahh's fan!"  I said, "you bet!"...and he raised his fist exclaiming, "good to hear that!"

Three-years later I was the TV reporter, a sportscaster from Bakersfield, California doing a five-part mini series on the LA Raiders at their training camp in Oxnard, California.

I got every shot and interview I sought that day except for Mr. Davis....who'd been elusively prowling every corner of the field, as if to appear un-noticed before suddenly sneaking up to tease players (I recall him cackling beside Lester Hayes), before quickly disappearing again.

I really wanted to get an interview, or at least a shot of Mr. Davis on tape, however, when asking permission from his executive assistant Gil Hererra, he told me,"don't even try, don't even get near him, or he'll boot you out of here."

To this day I don't know what force prompted me, but I said..."to hell with it"...and finally approached him a bit later when he stood alone, and fairly close by.

Once again, Al Davis was cordial to me, this time saying "no thanks Pete, I'd ratha you get shots of Tom (Headcoach Flores) and the team...but thanks faa commin all the way from bak-ahh'sfield to covaah the Rad-ahh's".

Then, I told him how much I enjoyed growing up a die-hard fan, following all the great Raider playoff wins, and the incredible, miracle comebacks! He said, "yea...there wah many great ones!" 

Suddenly, I recalled the 1976 season opener in Oakland against the Pittsburgh Steelers in which the Raiders rallied from 14-points down in the final five-minutes to win. That victory led to their first Superbowl Championship.  His eyes lit up, and we went back and forth detailing those final five minutes, my recall accurately matching his. He must have been impressed, because we carried on for another ten-minutes (it seemed like an hour) of detailed recollections! Finally he closed with "thanks young man, I like that...I'm gonna remembaah you!"  I walked away, head spinning and pleased....but still without any video-tape of Davis. I imagine without showing my dedication and reverance for the Raiders, Al Davis may not have been quite so nice to me, however, I still witnessed first hand how he, much like Steve Jobs, had a soft side that revealed itself often--especially to those who surrounded and were loyal to him. So, as the flags at Raider Headquarters in Alameda, California, and at Apple Headquarters in Cupertino remain fluttering at half-mast, let us honor the memories of two similar, fallen legends in their own time....Steve Jobs and Al Davis, each of whom left behind thriving franchise's (The 3-2 Raiders upset Houston on Sunday, and Apple's stock has risen since Wednesday), and who's contributions made the Earth a better planet to live on for countless millions!  Thank You, and remember to log onto www.streetwisesd.com for more blogs. Sincerely,  PeteCam4