Meet the shot-callers behind Oakland's authorities.

[Fire Walk With Me]

Thank you to Nadin for this link:

http://sfbayview.com/2011/whose-streets-oakland%E2%80%99s-shadow-government-presses-city-hall-to-end-the-occupation/

In a letter addressed to Oakland’s Mayor Jean Quan on Nov. 8, two little-known entities, the Lake Merritt/Uptown District Association (LMUDA) and Downtown Oakland Association (DOA) implored Mayor Quan to “step up and provide cohesive, common sense leadership.” Cohesive leadership, according to these two organizations, means giving the Oakland Police Department a green light to eradicate the now month-old Occupy encampment. “It’s time for Frank Ogawa Plaza to be given back to the people of Oakland,” they conclude.

Who are the LMUDA and DOA? What gives them the authority to make such demands? Further, who are the “people of Oakland” referred to in their letter? If those occupying the plaza do not constitute the people of Oakland, then who are the rightful owners of this contested public space?

===

The LMUDA and DOA districts are administered by nonprofit management corporations under contract with the City of Oakland. Each corporation is governed by a board of directors. The acting presidents, J.C. Wallace and Deborah Boyer, are employees of San Francisco-based real estate investment and management companies SKS Investments and the Swig Company, respectively. Both have speculated on properties in Oakland and stand to profit from increased rents generated by gentrification.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Not shocked, center city development is that here

[coalition_unwilling]

2. "It's Chinatown, Jake." Don't know why that movie popped into my

head on reading this, but thanks for posting.

[Maraya1969]

3. A picture of Wallace

http://sksinvestments.com/about/our-team/j-c-wallace/

His picture is colored

No picture of Deborah

[starroute]

5. Photo of Boyer at this link

http://www.swigco.com/documents/2010SFBTBoyer3Swig.pdf

(It's a pdf, but it's just one page so it opens fast.)

[Scuba]

4. So another words, the taxpayers of Oakland are paying real estate developers...

... to cover costs they incur in planning and lobbying(!!), all to make Oakland less hospitable to Oakland residents.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Yuo, it is called gentrification

we have the same problem here in San Diego... one of the reasons council really had a problem with them invisible people

[Fire Walk With Me]

7. Step 1. Identify the problem. Step 2. Identify the problem's cause.

Step 3. Eliminate the problem's cause.