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Interview with Occupy Oakland Lake Merritt Aquapiers After Arrest, 12/15/11: video & photos

by Dave Id

Tue, Dec 27, 2011 10:56PM

Before dawn on December 11th -- and just one day before the Occupy movement's West Coast Port Blockade -- a group of occupiers seized the waterways of Oakland's Lake Merritt. The action came to be known as Aquapy. The aquapiers' launched a homemade raft named the "SS Don’t Let the Banks Punk You Out" with two large banners attached, one announcing the December 12th port shutdown and another that read, "You Can Occupy Anything." On December 15th at about 10pm, Oakland police approached the aquapiers' vessel under the cover of darkness, handcuffed the three men on the boat, and took them into custody on a pontoon boat. After bringing the aquapiers back to shore and searching them at the Lake Merritt boating center, the three were cited for violation of Oakland Municipal Code 12.64.200(a) and released. They were told their boat was impounded and would not be returned. The Lake Merritt occupiers spoke about their time on the water and their arrests just after being released. [Video below]

occupyoakland-day067-aquapylakemerrittarrests-121511224748.jpg

[Pictured above: a small motorboat pulls the "SS Don’t Let the Banks Punk You Out" to the docks at Lake Merritt]

Warning of impending raid on Aquapy:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/12/15/18702834.php

Handmade Raft in Lake Merritt for West Coast Port Shutdown
http://occupyoakland.org/2011/12/handmade-raft-in-lake-merritt-for-west-coast-port-shutdown/

For more information: http://www.indybay.org/occupyoakland

§Video interview with Lake Merritt occupiers

by Dave Id

Tue, Dec 27, 2011 10:56PM

Copy the code below to embed this movie into a web page:

Download Video (23.1MB) | Embed Video

(video 3:53)

http://www.indybay.org/occupyoakland

§Small motorboat pulling raft, and pontoon with arrestees in distance

by Dave Id

Tue, Dec 27, 2011 10:56PM

occupyoakland-day067-aquapylakemerrittarrests-121511224834.jpg

http://www.indybay.org/occupyoakland

§SS Don’t Let the Banks Punk You Out

by Dave Id

Tue, Dec 27, 2011 10:56PM

occupyoakland-day067-aquapylakemerrittarrests-121511224851.jpg

http://www.indybay.org/occupyoakland

§Oakland police guarding boathouse and docks before arrival of arrestees

by Dave Id

Tue, Dec 27, 2011 10:56PM

occupyoakland-day067-aquapylakemerrittarrests-121511225341.jpg

http://www.indybay.org/occupyoakland

§Canine unit was amongst a half dozen OPD cruisers at the scene

by Dave Id

Tue, Dec 27, 2011 10:56PM

occupyoakland-day067-aquapylakemerrittarrests-121511225823.jpg

http://www.indybay.org/occupyoakland

§One arrestee by main boathouse

by Dave Id

Tue, Dec 27, 2011 10:56PM

occupyoakland-day067-aquapylakemerrittarrests-121511230717.jpg

http://www.indybay.org/occupyoakland

§Two other arrestees seated by storage units

by Dave Id

Tue, Dec 27, 2011 10:56PM

occupyoakland-day067-aquapylakemerrittarrests-121511231727.jpg

http://www.indybay.org/occupyoakland

§Free at last!

by Dave Id

Tue, Dec 27, 2011 10:56PM

occupyoakland-day067-aquapylakemerrittarrests-121511232418.jpg

http://www.indybay.org/occupyoakland

§Citation for violation of 12.64.200(a)

by Dave Id

Tue, Dec 27, 2011 10:56PM

occupyoakland-day067-aquapylakemerrittarrests-121511232443c.jpg

Oakland Municipal Code (OMC) - 12.64.200 - Boats on Lake Merritt.

A. Boat Permit. It is unlawful for any person to launch, use, moor or store upon Lake Merritt any private boat unless there shall have first been procured for said boat a permit from the Recreation Commission for such purpose. Said Commission may, by rule, specify the conditions under which the same may be granted, suspended, or revoked.

B. Speed of Boats. Speed of mechanically propelled boats on Lake Merritt is limited to eight miles an hour unless special permission to exceed such limit is granted by the Board of Playground Directors.

C. Boats in Certain Areas. It is unlawful for any person between the first day of October and the last day of April next succeeding, to row, drive, propel or navigate any boat in, over, or upon any part of the following described area of Lake Merritt:

That portion of the northeastern arm of Lake Merritt that lies northeasterly of a line bearing north 38° 13′ west from a point on the eastern line of Lakeshore Boulevard, distant thereon one hundred and sixty (160) feet southerly from the production of the entire line of that portion of Hanover Avenue that lies between Wayne and Newton Avenues.

This subsection shall not apply to the employees of the city properly engaged in work for said city in or upon the above described area and authorized by the Board of Playground Directors or the Board of Park Directors to be thereon.

D. Boats and Boat Races. No person shall be permitted to use the shores of Lake Merritt as a landing place for boats, or keep thereat boats for hire or floating boat houses with pleasure boats for hire, or keep boats of any kind in Lake Merritt, except under a permit from the Recreation Commission for such purpose, and only at places designated by and under restrictions and regulations promulgated by the Board of Park Directors or the Recreation Commission; and no regattas, boat races, or other special events involving the use of Lake Merritt shall take place thereon without permission granted by the Recreation Commission.

http://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientID=16308&stateID=5&statename=California

http://www.indybay.org/occupyoakland

§First day of occupying Lake Merritt

by Dave Id

Tue, Dec 27, 2011 10:56PM

Photo from http://occupyoakland.org/2011/12/handmade-raft-in-lake-merritt-for-west-coast-port-shutdown/

http://www.indybay.org/occupyoakland

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Comments (Hide Comments)

§"Public" boat, or "private" boat?

by 99%

Fri, Dec 30, 2011 8:50AM

You say that the 3 "Aquapiers" were cited under section 12.64.200(a). However, in reading that section (above), it seems to me that if they had declared their boat to be a "public boat" (to be available to the 99%!), then that section wouldn't apply, as it only talks about "private boats"!

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