Occupy Sacramento At César Chavez Park

After setting out for César Chávez Park in downtown Sacramento, California, it was clear that parking was going to be an issue.

Parking is always an issue in Downtown Sacramento, which is why most residents of the region do all that they can to avoid the place.

But yesterday, there were big doings in César Chávez Park. Several hundred children showed up to do a "flash mob" dance. After midnight, about 16 of the protesters were arrested in a "catch and release" program for violating park rules by blocking the park entrances or staying in the park after closing hours. The arrested individuals were either lying or sitting at the 9th and K street entrance.

These hardy souls braved a blustery day to start the first wave of the ongoing Sacramento Occupation style version of the Occupy Wall Street Protests.

But what a contrast!

Two participants said that they could identify a few of the state and regional old timers who organized on the political, union and other organizing fronts. Both participants said that they needed jobs and had plenty to say about how the country got into this current situation.

Without having official labels, titles or standings, some very savvy and experienced California protest organizers have stepped up to schedule marches and events, to keep the participants from stepping over the line, and to marshal resources, even if most of them did manage to get slightly arrested yesterday.

The sparse crowd was sparse for a reason. Many, if not most of the occupiers had marched over to Sacramento's main jail and to a couple of banks in order to bring the protest to our fertile valley version of "Wall Street".

The Brutal, hideous Sacramento main Jail serves as a reminder of the ugliness that lies in the souls of the oppressor....

...wait...that is the jail entrance with the beautiful shadows from the mature trees that line the streets of our fair city?

Well, there is still the arrogant, brutal oppression of the police, who beat and pepper spray...wait...are those the cops?

Anyway, the conditions were ripe for trouble or for a nice picnic in Sacramento today!

The contrast between today's straggling Sacramento protest and yesterday's blustery and lively event is a powerful one. But the contrast between Sacramento's downtown and Wall Street's concrete canyons is even more striking. Sacramento is a beautiful town that is proud to be one of the most tree laden cities in America.

But in its own way, Sacramento can be much badder than even New York City. Our city is a national and international hub for a host of criminal activities. The gangs range from the iconic biker, Crips Bloods, Norteños and other organized crime gangs to a surprising concentration of extremist and racist groups.

Sacramento's position as the hub of several state and interstate highways gives a unique opportunity for anything to come and go from anywhere.

Politically, Sacramento is a melting pot that leans decidedly toward the Democratic Party. But the surrounding towns of the northern California region can ride just to the right of Mussolini.

California has taken some of the most serious hits in the country in the arenas of banking, energy, home foreclosure and development debacles, veterans issues, potential for natural disaster, immigration issues and jobs markets.

The arrested protesters and others were not pepper sprayed or otherwise abused, nor were the protesters disrespectful. The park closes at a certain hour in order to roust out the homeless who would love to camp there on a regular basis. This may seem laid back and passive on the surface, but trouble could erupt from a thousand sources and with a thousand possible outcomes.

A Sacramento Police Sergeant described the concerns of law enforcement. For Sacramento's protests, the program is to "keep it peaceful". The specific concerns are about people getting into the street and blocking drivers, which can instigate California's unique and fabulous version of road rage.

No place does road rage like Sacramento.

The other major concern is for people who want to escalate arguments. Disputes could break out over opposing viewpoints or even personal matters.These interpersonal flash points can turn into trouble when the participants live in the land of access to guns, guns, and more guns.

The Sergeant gave a pretty standard media package of common concerns, but we all are quite aware that Sacramento has a history of gang and youth trouble that can erupt into gunfire or fighting at any time and during any event.

The city's "Second Saturday" downtown arts walks have already been the scene of a few fatal shootings, and the police do not need for that to be happening while they deal with a long term occupation of the city's relatively tiny, one block square central park.

"Keep it peaceful" is a reasonable policy that the occupation "organizers" and participants are working to keep. We hope that the policy of "keeping it peaceful" will hold its position against the waves and tides of ever growing public outrage and unpredictable public behavior.