Oakland developer Phil Tagami keeps protesters at bay -- with a shotgun

[hack89]

Source: Contra Costa Times

About eight men and women dressed in black, faces covered in bandannas and armed with hammers, sticks and poles had just barged down the doors of Oakland's landmark Rotunda Building -- with another dozen behind them -- when they were turned back by a tenant with a shotgun and an attitude.

This wasn't your average building employee, this was Oakland developer and building owner Phil Tagami who provided a one-man sentry for the Frank H. Ogawa Plaza building that he oversaw a $50 million renovation on in years past.

The Oakland native and longtime mover and shaker surveyed extensive damage to the building Thursday, estimating hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, from broken windows to vandalism to destroyed property.

At around 11 p.m., a group of protesters began forcing the glass front doors back and forth before they opened partially. Before they could move much further, Tagami lifted his shotgun. He insists he did not point the gun at anyone, just positioned it in front of him and cocked it.

Read more: http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_19258637

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Tagami is a major Democratic power broker in California.

[Faithful One]

1. HE"S A BUSINESS OWNER! HE MUST BE PART OF THE 1%!!!!

/sarcasm off

[ret5hd]

2. how long have you been waiting to say that?

the black block have been denounced by the legitimate OWS.

[Faithful One]

8. I'm a 99%er.

I was making a joke. The Black Bloc are a bunch of morans, plain and simple.

[DBoon]

11. morans or provocateurs?

I suspect there is more going on than infantile leftism among the "black block"

[hack89]

18. I vote for morons - the world is full of them. nt

[No Elephants]

21. I vote for these people being RWers.

[hack89]

23. Idiocy is evenly spread across the political spectrum

you are kidding yourself if you think that teabaggers is the only reasonable explanation.

[No Elephants]

17. At whose expense?

[No Elephants]

19. ? I don't get it. Isn't sarcasm saying something that you don't want to be taken literally?

He is the owner of a building that has undergone a $50 million renovation. And that is just one of his buildings.

He very likely is literally in the 1%, and not merely because he is simply the owner of just any business.

[someevilguy]

3. very interesting...

very interesting indeed.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

4. In Arizona, he woudn't have to think twice.

There are some things I really like about Arizona and among them is your right to protect yourself.

[temporary311]

5. Yeah, but I bet if he opened fire on that group

he would likely end up being charged with shooting/killing a cop or two at least.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

6. oh well. If the cops are the agents they will never admit it.

[dkf]

7. As Steve Jobs said to Rupert Murdoch...

"The axis today is not liberal and conservative, the axis is constructive-destructive, and you've cast your lot with the destructive people," Jobs reportedly told Murdoch. "Fox has become an incredibly destructive force in our society. You can be better, and this is going to be your legacy if you're not careful."

[jwirr]

9. These anarchists have to be stopped. They will destroy the real

power of occupy even if that is not what they want.

[dkf]

10. This is not right.

As Tagami worked in his firm Thursday in the upper floors of the building, he still had a hard time believing his previous night.
"I was very nervous and I'm still uncomfortable with what happened," Tagami said.
His publicized actions have netted him hate email, as well. He has no further plans to stand guard.
"Besides," he said, "my wife is better with the shotgun than I am."

[Crowman1979]

12. Frankly I wouldn't mind if these provocateurs get shot by citizens protecting their property.

Or better yet, a teabagger shoots a provocateur.

[Crowman1979]

13. I think the occupiers should get cans of pink paint.

And spray it on the provocateurs so people will know who the pigs are.

[PETRUS]

14. Interesting idea.

[emilyg]

15. I would, too. Right to protect your property.

[IamK]

16. if they did that to my house, they would be getting sponged off the pavement...

[No Elephants]

20. Whose home did they damage?

[No Elephants]

22. There people are not part of Occupy Oakland and I doubt they are even lefties.

The right would pay a lot to end this movement, or, at least to discredit the occupy movement.

At that, they forced the doors of a very costly non-residential building; he aimed the shotgun at them and they immediately backed off.

Not saying breaking the windows or forcing doors is correct, but, again, this is not the movement.


The Contra Costa Times is very wrong and inflammatory to call them protestors. It has no idea if they are paid thugs or not.

Or even pissed off Oakland cops in masks, bent on discrediting the movement and retroactively justifying their unprovoked violence to the occupiers.