To the Editor:

This article about Occupy Oakland is absolutely right. Anarchists must be brought into the fold and somehow prevented from ruining the work and hard-won reputation of Occupy.

Lela Cooper
Stone Ridge, NY



To the Editor:

Mayor Jean Quan estimates the cost to Oakland related to the Occupy protests since October at about $5 million at a time when the city is facing a budget deficit. But consider that Oakland's budget deficit is indirectly related to the subprime housing crisis, predatory lending practices, lack of government regulation, and billions in government bailouts to those largely responsible for the crisis. This corporate greed led to vast layoffs of workers and home foreclosures.

The $5 million cost to Oakland pales against the human cost suffered by unemployed workers, many of whom lost their homes to foreclosure, and the cost to taxpayers for these bailouts. While I decry the violence and destruction of property in the latest Occupy Oakland demonstration, until government and Wall Street listen and act, we need the Occupy Movement to continue its protest against corporate greed symbolized by Wall Street and the vast income disparity in the U.S. Hopefully, Occupy Oakland has not lost the true spirit and determination of the original Occupy Wall Street.

Ralph E. Stone
San Francisco



To the Editor:

I want to help collect signatures for the Millionaire's Tax. In LA, our LAUSD superintendent wants the property owners to pay a property tax to pay for the students' education. It will be a lot easier to push for this taxation of the wealthy businesses that keep polluting and destroying our environment all over the world.

Give me 50 petitions. I am sure I can get a team of people to get the 50 sheets signed especially when we are up against taxation of the poor. The choice is easy. Enough is enough. I am glad I read this article today.

Pedro Reyes
Los Angeles



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