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Indybay Feature

BAMN Line on Jean Quan is Dangerous and Idiotic

by Food for Thought
A photo published on The Guardian UK's website depicts a sign on a tent at Occupy Oakland that reads "Mayor Quan Must Go! Get Out Now! BAMN.org".....
occupy-oakland-007.jpg
It might as well say, "BAMN.com supports the Police Officers Benevolent Association, the Cali Prison Guards Union, Don Perata and Ignacio De La Fuente".

I mean, come on. Quan is a politician, but she's cooperating to a great degree with Occupy Oakland, now at least. True, she's been forced to do so, but for now she has called off the dogs. The pigs ain't vamping. The camp at Oscar Grant Plaza has not been harassed officially in days now.

Who's coming behind Jean Quan if she's put out now? I guarantee it will be somebody with a "Break Up Occupy Oakland By Any Means Necessary" agenda.

Quan might be a politician, and quite frankly a mother fucker, but her office has been cooperating with the NLG in terms of providing access to documents, video footage and other information relative to the lawsuit against the cops' brutality and illegal use of force against the Mehserle Verdict Day demonstrations last year. This lawsuit will result in another people's victory which is part of the protracted struggle to stop police terrorism in Oakland's Black and Brown communities.

If you recall, she was personally targeted during the mayoral campaign by the cops, FOR PROSECUTION, for "impeding an officer"--simply for standing on the street as a peacekeeper to prevent police brutality against Justice for Oscar Grant demonstrators.

I'm not trying to give Quan a pass. She's doing some truly awful shit, such as her "100 Worst Blocks" initiative to increase police presence, harassment, surveillance and repression in Black and Brown communities in the Town.

But what I am saying is, the left needs to be a little bit tactical at the moment, and not just think about last week, but about tomorrow, next week, and the week after that.

BAMN is a caricature of the immature sectarian left, and they should be told so by everybody with half a brain at Occupy Oakland.
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by Oaklander
BUT that time ain't NOW!

I agree with the poster. Let's use our heads, people!
by @benzotweet
I dont get how asking Jean Quan to resign is the sign of immaturity or sectarianism. She obviously approved of 17 police agencies brutally putting down a peaceful protest and hurting a lot of people. Scott Olsen could have died, and she is directly responsible for that. Even if you don't necessarily agree with the demand, I do not see how asking Quan to resign is in any way irrational or immature.
by and immature
I agree with the poster... as a long-time resident of the Berkeley-Oakland area (13 years), I have seen the carelessness and lack of strategic thinking on the part of BAMN... The BAMN position is frankly dumb, as it becomes a distraction from the decades long ENTRENCHED struggle against the brutality of the OPD and other PDs... Quan will come and go, but OPD will stay, and we must not lose sight of that, or of the local conflicts/contradictions as noted by the original poster re: OPDs investigation of Quan... Quite simply: she may have given the 'green light' but OPD ran with it, in large part to actually undermine her in hopes of getting a more OPD-oriented Mayor.... Lastly, I remember in the 1990's it was standard practice for all event flyers of left-leaning and radical organizations at UC Berkeley to bear the words "Not affiliated with BAMN" precisely because they were understood as the group with really problematic analyses and positions, that would ultimately detract people from joining radical causes since they made them all seem absurd and lacking actual critical abilities... Perhaps its time we revisit such 'flyer' practices?
by Weygand
Doesnt the author mean the 99% need to be tactical? Again...some people are really losing sight of the aims of this movement. This is about changing the culture of domination by the 1%...not some right/left zero sum game.
by Me
I could care less what they think. I could care less about Quan.
I just hate when bamn tries to put themselves in front of movements they had nothing to do with creating. Especially with their fucking bullhorn.
by Concerned
Why doesn't the movement place some demands on Quan? Like: Fire Interim Police Chief Jordan and City Administrator Santana over the police riot and injury of Scott Olson? How about creating a municipal bank? Divestment of city funds from private banks? Municipal recreation centers, mentoring and jobs programs for youth and young adults in the "100 Worst Blocks"? How about cutting the OPD's budget by 50% and investing in our people, not a bunch of pigs who pay their taxes in Walnut Creek or Tracy or Gilroy?

Then, if she meets our demands, she can keep her job, no recall? But if not, we file our own recall petition?

Under no circumstances should we sign on to Perata's recall drive.
by @benzotweet
just wondering how- or if- the author "food for thought"'s views have changed since the police assault on Wed., and another iraq vet got hospitalized- beaten and with internal bleeding: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/04/occupy-oakland-second-veteran-injured

"but she's cooperating to a great degree with Occupy Oakland, now at least. True, she's been forced to do so, but for now she has called off the dogs. The pigs ain't vamping. The camp at Oscar Grant Plaza has not been harassed officially in days now."
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