In meetings with protesters over the past week, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan discussed the possibility of relocating the Occupy Oakland encampment that has occupied Frank Ogawa Plaza for most of the last month, according to Mayor's office officials.
"The city's ban against public parks remains," said Sue Piper, special assistant to Quan. Piper said that some protesters suggested public and private sites that the encampment could voluntarily move to.
After previously issuing several eviction notices demanding protesters vacate Frank Ogawa Plaza, a Saturday notice was addressed to "Persons lodging in all parks citywide," informing protesters that they did not have permission to "lodge on or in ANY city property or parks, including and not limited to Frank Ogawa Plaza, Lafayette Square Park, Jefferson Square and Snow Park."
An encampment in Snow Park has grown over the last several days, according to accounts by protesters and residents, and as many as 20 tents were pitched there as of Saturday.
Some protesters had previously occupied Snow Park, located near the corner of 19th Street and Lakeside Drive overlooking Lake Merritt, but that encampment was dismantled on the morning of Oct. 25 when police raided both Occupy Oakland encampments.
A statement released by the Old Oakland Neighbors organization Saturday said that as of Saturday morning one tent had been pitched in Lafayette Square Park, located on the corner of 10th and Jefferson Streets.
Old Oakland Neighbors said that the group had not been contacted regarding any efforts for relocating the campers, and said that existing shelters should be consulted on where the protesters can go.
A group of several Occupy Oakland protesters released a statement Saturday as well to say that they were not aware of any meetings with Quan or the city regarding relocation, and that Occupy Oakland General Assembly had not issued any resolutions regarding voluntary relocation.
The statement said that if anyone had met with Quan regarding relocation, they were "purporting to represent the Occupation without any kind of authorization."
