MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“Smiling” officers clear anti Wall Street protestors from Occupy Oakland camp

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan lost a top advisor because of the decision

California Police moved in on Monday and cleared out anti-Wall Street protesters from Oakland's City Hall plaza, arresting 32 people but avoiding the sort of clashes that marked a previous attempt to shut down the Occupy Oakland camp.

Several dozen officers dressed in riot gear and carrying batons descended on the square shortly after dawn, but took a less aggressive approach than in a similar operation on Oct. 25 and were met with less resistance from demonstrators.

On Monday, officers in some cases were smiling and talking with protesters as they took down more than 100 tents, under illumination from the searchlight of a helicopter hovering overhead. A separate line of officers kept a chanting crowd from entering the camp.

Before the camp was completely cleared, a crowd of protest supporters outside shouted “Shame on you!”

Describing the early morning raid as a mistake that could trigger more volatility, a top adviser to Oakland Mayor Jean Quan resigned on Monday over the city's actions.

Civil rights attorney Dan Siegel said he resigned at 2 am, before the raid on the encampment, after insisting police should protect, not dismantle, the camp.

“I feel like the city has really made a mistake in the way in which it decided to deal with Occupy Oakland,” Siegel told reporters. The decision, he said, was “putting city officials on the wrong side of the dispute.”

In the October operation, police and protesters clashed near downtown Oakland in one of the most violent episodes since the anti-Wall Street movement began in New York in September.

Former Marine Scott Olsen was critically injured during that altercation, giving impetus to the demonstrations across the United States. Olsen, 24, was released from the hospital last week and has called for peaceful demonstrations.