It's Always a Shit Storm in Oakland

And it's always sunny too, btw...

Yesterday's non-stop action in downtown Oakland was borderline insanity. I am stationed directly across from the city, and was able to see through buildings. Between the lights, sounds, smoke, helicopters, etc, it looked like a battle was taking place. And yet I can't help but ask myself why is this happening?

Now that it has it strikes me as necessary to point out how terrible a thing it is that it has.

First off, a young man is in critical condition after police fired tear gas canisters into the crowd, and one struck him in the head. Then while people were tending to him an officer fired a flash grenade into their group. Watch it all here.

Oakland cops should know better. If anyone has been to this city they know there's clearly A LOT MORE BAD SHIT GOING DOWN THAN THIS! Just drive around, uhh, anywhere, and you'll find it. Attacking peaceful protestors, is that a good use of resources? I think not.

I have passed by the OW Protest downtown at least 5 times in the last 2 weeks, every time at night, and I've never noticed anything that would concern me, or make me fear for my safety.

And Oakland PD, you're drawing attention to your force, and meanwhile you're under investigation by the FBI for corruption. Good job.

The unfortunate aspect all of this, besides the obvious injuries, etc, is how this protest is now being turned into a battle of people vs police vs Wall St vs other causes vs everything. If you thought Occupy Wall St was a bit misguided at the outset (it wasn't), now it's really going off the rails here in California. Pictures and videos will come across peoples' televisions from coast to coast, and the generally non-violent protest will be made to look horrific.

The unfortunate irony in all of this is how these people are continually compared to the Tea Party, which is so stupid. What, no one in the Tea Party has lost a job? No on in the Tea Party is suffering? Everyone in the Tea Party has health care? No one in the Tea Party is underwater on their mortgage?

Well, if that's the case, when why does anyone give a shit about the TEA PARTY?!?!?

I'll say one thing about the Tea Party, they received tons of positive coverage, and suffered VERY LITTLE. Not at rallies, not at townhalls, now in Washington D.C. did you ever see a Tea Partier living amongst rats in a city park, getting sprayed with hoses, having tear gas launched at them. It seems to me the Tea Partiers are DOING ALRIGHT!

So if the country wants to really pay attention to who is sacrificing their own well-being in order to achieve something better, maybe focus on the people getting the shit kicked out of them in downtown Oakland.

Try not to make them look like the clowns during all of this.