Occupy Oakland Sees Major Clash Between Police and Protesters: Over 100 Arrested

COMMENTARY | The Occupy Oakland movement in the East Bay area of California became of the scene of over 100 arrests as police clashed with protesters in the city's downtown area on Tuesday, October 25, 2011. Police surrounded the protesters wearing riot gear and even used tear gas on the crowd.

It was said that the officers used tear gas five times over the course of three hours, with the last around 11:15 p.m., still lingering in the air. Many of the protesters left the area each time the noxious gas was used, and the crowd had diminished to about 200 people by late Tuesday, mostly young adults.

One of the protesters, Mario Fernandez, used a bullhorn to express the concerns of the group and stated, "This movement is more than just the people versus the police. It's about the people trying to have their rights to basic services."

Officers have come from throughout the Bay Area to help temper the crowd, and they said that the tear gas was necessary to avoid being hit with rocks and bottles that were thrown by the protesters. Are they going too far? Or have citizens crossed the line?

It seems to be a very fine line between fighting for the rights of the people, and something that turns chaotic and out of control. We have to remember that real change in this country is not seen until the people insist on that change. Events such as these have rarely occurred since the 60s and early 70s when protests were held against the Vietnam War.

If those had not taken place, where would our country be today? After four decades many people may have become complacent, allowing years to go by while politicians took control of our nation, taking our country into an unnecessary war and economic disaster. As of Tuesday, Oct. 25, there have been 4,481 U.S. military deaths and over 32,000 men and women wounded in the Iraq war. A war that our country entered into based on lies from the politicians we elected to the White House.

Now, the American Dream seems to be headed the way of the horse and buggy, just a memory in the distant past. Should our citizens just lie back and allow this to happen?

It may seem uncomfortable and inconvenient to those who don't think their daily lives are affected by what's going on in our country, but it would be far worse to do nothing at all while the rich continue to become richer and the rest of us lose hope for America's future.