OB Rag

By Hugh Moore / Special to the OB Rag

San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) voted this morning to approve the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). This planned 214 billion dollar transportation infrastructure is funded by local, state and federal funds that are granted to SANDAG as long as certain environmental goals are met. Unfortunately the required goals will most likely not be met.

In the meeting this morning SANDAG presented the proposed plan and had many organizations that had worked on the development of the plan try to show that the goals and requirements mandated by accepting the funds would be met.

By Gail Powell

Mourners filled Sacred Heart Church in Ocean Beach on Friday morning, October 28th, to pay their respects to a beloved local lady named Luisa Allen.

Many regulars who enjoy eating at Nati’s Mexican restaurant on Bacon Street have most likely made the acquaintance of this longtime hostess and waitress. Luisa started out at the popular eatery as a waitress 51 years ago! She always greeted every customer with hospitality and a friendly smile. Luisa remembered the favorite menu items of her patrons and she watched as the babies who enjoyed Nati’s in the womb grew up and became Nati’s regulars themselves with kids of their own.

A friend of mine, after reading my review of South Beach, suggested that I try the Italian Restaurant – “Ciao Bella” at 4953 Newport Ave. Since I really didn’t feel like cooking dinner for one of my students and myself, I suggested we give it a try.

This is a “cute” restaurant; facades of little houses line the walls, each one numbered. They really don’t have anything to do with the restaurant, but the décor is warm and inviting even though the restaurant was cold.

In spite of the 51 arrests early Friday morning, Occupy San Diego managed to hold the Civic Center Plaza, what some young people are calling ‘Freedom Plaza,” through the night and into Saturday morning. After a tense standoff with about 30 police officers over one of the two arrests during the night and a noisy march through downtown, occupiers meeting at their nightly General Assembly split evenly over whether to continue to occupy the plaza, but since there was not a single block on the action, about 75 OccupySD folks stayed.

There is an urgent call for supporters to come to the Civic Center Plaza tonight at 8 pm for a vigil in solidarity with Occupy San Diego and all those who were arrested during the police raids earlier today. And people are asked to bring their candles, warm clothing, and to participate in the vigil as long as they can.

Originally scheduled as a “sleepover” by trade unionists and nurses in support of the occupation, plans had to change with the new conditions that police were imposing on the Civic Center area – site of a three week encampment by demonstrators. Now, a vigil – perhaps all night – is being planned.

In protest of the arrests made of Occupy San Diego activists in the early hours of Friday, a protest rally has been called for 8:30 a.m. at the Wells Fargo Bank at 5th Avenue and B Street, two blocks east of the Civic Center Plaza.

At least 44 arrests were made as police swept through both occupation sites – the Plaza and Children’s Park at First and Island.

Calls to the police department and the mayor’s office are encouraged.

Police Sweep Through Making Arrests and Confiscating Personal Belongings and Donated Supplies – Organizers Call for 8 am Protest Today at the Plaza.

In the early hours of October 28, San Diego Police swept through both encampments of Occupy San Diego, making at least 44 arrests and confiscating all personal belongings and all supplies and food that has been donated.

Around 1:45 am officers started to sweep through Children’s Park without warning and made at least 8 arrests there. Simultaneously, over hundred police and sheriffs deputies swept through Civic Center Plaza, ordering everyone out. A confrontation then occurred at B Street and 3rd Avenue as the remaining occupiers faced off with lines of blue and brown shirts. Police and sheriffs all had batons and other riot gear.

1:54 am, Calls coming in to Frank that arrests are being made at the plaza and at the solidarity site…

Occupy San Diego jumped into history just 3 weeks ago, when on Friday, October 7th it sprang to life with a huge march around downtown that included a rally at Civic Center Plaza, and the first pitching of tents at Children’s Park.

Now, entering its third week, San Diego’s Occupy Wall Street incarnation has a monstrous achievement under its belt: it’s still going! People, protesters are still camped out at Civic Center Plaza. Despite all the problems, the tensions, the frictions – we are still there at San Diego City Hall. And the occupiers remain peaceful and non-violent.

by Dan Beucke / Bloomberg News / October 27, 2011

Depending on your point of view, the Occupy Wall Street movement may be 1968 — or 1970 — all over again. And this week may mark the point where the bank protests go viral — or take a dangerous turn for the movement and those who support them. Such is the struggle by both sides to assign symbols to OWS.

Police attempts this week to clear protesters from encampments in Oakland, Atlanta, and other cities, complete with tear gas and horse-mounted police, brought to mind images from 1960s and ’70s era anti-war clashes. Then, on Tuesday night, Scott Olsen, an Iraq war veteran, was seriously injured after apparently being hit in the head by a police projectile.

This week, we at the OB Rag are celebrating our fourth birthday since we began our online presence on October 25, 2007.

And since then, our readership has … well, take a look for yourself. Inside is a chart of our monthly readership, called “unique visitors” since October 2007. It shows our dramatic increase in monthly readers, from our first full month in November 2007 when we had 1,371 visitors – all the way to this month, and we already have over 85,000 with days to go before the end of October 2011.

So, we’re patting ourselves on the shoulders all week.

Did you know that the OB Rag has a whole bevy of regular / irregular columnists? We do, and you gotta check them out!

They are plentiful – and you can see them for yourself by going to the Navigation Bar just below our masthead and clicking on either “COLUMNS” or go to the “OCEAN BEACH” and clicking on that for a list of OB columnists.

Here they are – along with a very short bio and their avatar …. (COME INSIDE)