Occupy Oakland: Mayor says shooting shows that protest must end
This post has been corrected. See the note at the bottom for details.
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said Thursday night that the fatal shooting near the Occupy Oakland site shows that the encampment must shut down.
Oakland Police Department Sgt. Christopher Bolton told The Times that said the shooting was related to the Occupy encampment "by proximity" and police continue to investigate other potential connections.
Nonetheless, Quan said, it was time for the campers to pack up and leave the downtown site where they have been staying for weeks.
"Tonight's incident underscores the reason why the encampment must end. The risks are too great," Quan said in a statement. "Camping is a tactic, not a solution."
The encampment, she said, has drained the financially strained city as it has been forced to pay for police protection and other services to deal with the protesters.
In recent days, Quan has come under criticism by City Council members and business owners who say she has failed to show leadership in dealing with the Occupy Oakland supporters.
Police Thursday night were investigating the shooting and had not apprehended anyone in connection with the incident. Witnesses told The Oakland Tribune that the shooting took place after a fight broke out in the ecampment.
[For the record: 8:37 p.m., Nov. 11: A previous version of this post mistakenly said Bolton believed the shooting to be unrelated to the encampment.]
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Photos: At top, an Occupy Oakland medic, wearing red, and others tend to a shooting victim near the encampment. Credit: Jane Tyska / HOEP / Associated Press. At bottom, Quan at a news conference last month. Credit: Noah Berger / Associated Press
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