Surrounded by a chain-link fence, the lot at 18th and Linden streets has food and water for anyone who asks, about a dozen tents, tarps, protest signs and even entertainment -- a man belting out a raspy, undecipherable tune on a weedy knoll outside the camp.
-Inside Bay Area
They are being raided as I write this.
Very intresting.
This is the first occupation in the hood. People in West Oakland are acting like people from West Oakland, but the cops are treating this like Snow Park by the lake.
And now the cops are leaving because they realized that it isn't Snow Park.
It wasn't the occupiers who ran the cops off either.
It was the neighborhood.
Or maybe the cops didn't really have authorization from the property owner to evict?
Who knows.
Some people tried in vain to organize a march to Oscar Grant Plaza after the cops left. Eventually though, the group was gone after slowly dwindling down throughout the night.
Here's the official story:
OAKLAND -- A confrontation between police and a diverse group of Occupy Oakland protesters ended late Tuesday, when campers moved out of a vacant lot that they had taken over a day earlier.
About 100 people gathered on the sidewalk outside the lot after police issued a 30-minute warning to vacate the lot inside a chain-link fence that surrounds 18th and Linden streets. The displaced campers were scrambling to figure out a new plan late Tuesday, and it was unclear if they planned to camp overnight.
A lot owner must file a complaint with police before officers can clear the premises.
Earlier Tuesday night, police appeared ready to move in on the group. About 30 police officers were at the scene, most of them in riot gear.
About 20 people set up tents on the lot late Monday night, and Tuesday afternoon the camp was bustling with people. Food and water were available for anyone who asked.
Police gave the protesters a 30-minute warning about 8:30 p.m. to leave the camp or be arrested. But at 9:50 p.m., police surprised protesters and observers alike when several of them removed their riot gear and all the officers promptly drove away. Police helicopters remained in the area and it was unclear what the department's next move would be.
It was not immediately clear whether they left because they did not have authority to evict the protesters.
-Inside Bay Area
