City Councilmen Tour Occupy L.A.'s City Hall Camp, Say Protesters Can Stay As Long as They Want

Photo by Gary Rides Bikes via the LAist Featured Photos pool

Since most of L.A.'s top officials have to head in and out of City Hall to get their work done, what they think of the current "occupation" of the area by protesters is surely worth noting.

It took one of the Council's regular meeting speakers, John Walsh (L.A. Now generous calls him "a well-known political gadfly" to goad the Councilmembers to not only acknowledge the Occupy L.A. participants, but to go outside and tour their "tent city" and talk to the protesters.

Walsh walked with Councilmen Bill Rosendahl, Eric Garcetti, Ed Reyes and Dennis Zine through the protest area, where participants have set up a makeshift camp. The sentiment among the elected officials was that talking to them was the right thing to do, and some, including Rosendahl and Garcetti, said they supported the protesters.

In fact, Rosendahl and Garcetti stuck around to speak to the crowd--which necessitated approval from the group, which is run like an organized political body. No one objected, and the two men offered "fiery speeches," per L.A. Now, adding:

When Garcetti shouted, “This is your City Hall!” the crowd repeated, "This is our City Hall!"

“Stay as long as you need," Garcetti told them. "We’re here to support you.”

The Occupy L.A. protesters have previously indicated they plan to stay camped out until December.

Check out some images from the Councilmen's visit via photojournalist Ted Soqui's blog.

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By Lindsay William-Ross in News on October 4, 2011 5:30 PM

Comments [rss]

Robert Hawkes

"Corporate greed" brought us the light bulb, hybrid cars, the proliferation of the Internet, renewable energy sources, the decentralization of journalism as exemplified in this blog, and whatever device you're reading this on. American businesses are also the greatest benefactors to worldwide relief and other charitable organizations.

Of course, there have been abuses as well, such as the recent bailouts, and what is generally referred to as "corporate welfare."

Though I respect their right to peaceful protest, I find Occupy Wallstreet's blanket labeling of all corporations as "evil" and "greedy" to be disingenuous and misleading.

Hanno Barca

You are like a broken record man. I have seen this exact same post on other articles about the Occupy movement. Get a new line man.

Frank TheTank

I've seen the same post from a different user. Mr. Hawks either has multiple log-ins or is irretrievably stupid - I'm leaning toward the latter.

328la

The light bulb would have never made it into the homes of people, unless the government allowed the electric lines to be strung on government property, and by not charging them rent, the taxpayer subsidies electric transmission lines. All those telephone poles that run electricity, cable and internet connections are on public property. Everything you mentioned has been either subsidized or invented by government funding. When the corporate-backed Republicans deregulated everything, they did not stop the subsidies to corporations, they only stopped the oversight. Why should the taxpayer subsidize the profit margins of corporations and relinquish oversight and receive no benefits?

The biggest problem is that corporations, banks and foreign governments influence legislation and policy by contributing massive amounts of money to Congressional politicians, particularly the Republicans, who refuse to raise taxes on their benefactors. One of the Occupy Wall Street protesters demands is a .50 cent per trade surcharge on all stock transactions. It would yield $380 billion a year and would mainly affect institutional traders, banks, insurance companies and large brokerage houses. Yet the Republicans in Congress have rejected such a surcharge outright. It is not a government "by the people and for the people" when corporations, financial institutions and foreign government lobbyists have more influence on Congressional lawmakers than the American people themselves.