Despite a Police Shakeup, Occupy Movements Keep Up Protests

Despite Sunday’s raid of the Occupy Riverside encampment by police, the Occupy movements throughout the Inland Empire plan to continue their protests throughout the area.

Occupy Redlands has plans for a protest at 5:30 p.m. today at Chase Bank at Redlands Boulevard and Orange Street. A general assembly meeting at 7 p.m. will follow the demonstration at the old Police Annex. The meeting will not be at Ed Hales Park due to Market Night, organizers said.

Occupy San Bernardino is preparing to launch their movement on Saturday by participating in the large unified Occupy Inland Empire, which begins at 9 a.m. at Third and D streets in San Bernardino.

Riverside protestors, the targets of the Sunday raid, remained at the Main Street Plaza just off University Avenue. The group plans a rally and march at 11:30 a.m. Friday in response to the police action. The march begins at Occupy Riverside encampment on the downtown pedestrian walkway on Main Street between Market and Orange in front of the Wells Fargo and at the Riverside Police Department, 4102 Orange St.

On Nov. 6, Riverside arrested 11 protestors who had formed a human chain around a small food service tent the occupiers have dubbed The People’s Kitchen. Members of the movements from Redlands, Victorville and Colton, who happened to be visiting, joined in the chain.

Officers, some from the SWAT unit, say they made the arrests after protestors refused to take down tents.

When the group declined to allow the city workers to take down the kitchen by surrounding it, officers moved in, pulling the protestors off the human line.

“We are working round the clock to provide meals for all that are hungry, organize donations from the community and do outreach for our cause,” wrote Dani Niehus in an email.

Niehus and other members of the group have been feeding the homeless often seen in wandering the downtown area.

On Tuesday, the group attended the Riverside City Council meeting to voice anger over the aggressive raid. They delivered their own citation that included a demand for an apology.

Several of those arrested were seriously injured, Niehus said.

“I was assaulted by the police and after I was released from jail, I had to go to the ER for the injuries I sustained at the hands of the RPD during the raid,” Niehus said.