November 10 was supposed to be a celebratory day for those involved in the Occupy movement in Oakland's Frank Ogawa Plaza (unoficially dubbed the Oscar Grant Plaza, honoring the young man who was murdered by BART Police in 2009). Thursday 11/10 was the one month Anniversary of the Occupy Oakland encampment and a Generation Waking Up Social Activism Workshop was planned for that night along with a festive dance party to celebrate this milestone. Unfortunately, there was a shooting that happened around 5pm just yards away from the Occupy encampment, that resulted in the death of 25 year old Kayode Ola Foster. It is still unclear whether the victim or the others involved in the shooting were connected to the Occupy movement, either way the mood of the encampment was distressed and restless for the rest of the night. There were candles being handed out to all the protesters and the Inter-faith tent led everyone in a silent candle light vigil and walk around the plaza to honor and pray for the young man and his family. Those who stuck around after the shooting showed solidarity and took comfort in being around others who were experiencing the repercussions of this event. A modified version of the "Wake Up" was facilitated a few hours late, when the mood of the group became more subdued. It served as a great bonding and centering exercise for all those who participated. Early this morning, citing safety concerns, the Oakland Police Department cleared out all the tents in the encampment and arrested those who resisted the raid.
