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By MARY CALLAHAN and JULIE JOHNSON
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Santa Rosa police detain a man Thursday at the site of the former Occupy Santa Rosa encampment at City Hall. JEFF KAN LEE/PD
A lone camper found asleep early Thursday morning amid mounds of detritus left behind after a month-long occupation of the lawn at Santa Rosa City Hall was the last to leave after city-issued camping permits expired.
Later Thursday, just over a mile north on the Santa Rosa Junior College campus, students re-launched the Occupy movement on campus in preparation for a march on Saturday. The group plans to focus on a local issue important to students – getting back a longtime scholarship program run by Exchange Bank that officials halted in 2008.
Occupy Santa Rosa, which began with marches downtown and developed into a tent encampment outside City Hall, came to a quiet end.
After protesters moved out after refusing to agree to 15-day city permits, the mostly homeless residents camped together on the west lawn vacated what briefly was a communal campground complete with a lounge and kitchen area.
A police raid last week rousted those camping without permits, destroying unpermitted tents. Those who remained voluntarily cleared out Wednesday, police Sgt. Clay Van Artsdalen said.
A city cleanup crew hit the area Thursday to clean up cardboard, garbage and other debris.
What’s next remains unclear, as some in the Occupy movement have vowed to “reoccupy” City Hall in some fashion.
“If they want to stand out on the corner and protest, they are more than welcome to do that,” Van Artsdalen said.
SRJC students will take to the streets Saturday.
Students sitting in the grass Thursday in front of the Frank P. Doyle Library planned what they called an “informational march.”
Sustainable agriculture major Angelo Silva, 25, said he and others wanted to channel people’s frustration into a local issue in which they may make a difference.
“It’s important to do something so no more gets taken away,” said Candace Morales, 48, a social services student.
Students will gather at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in front of Santa Rosa City Hall. Speakers will include Jay Scherf, a sophomore who will talk about the Doyle Trust’s 60-year history of providing the Doyle scholarships to students. They’ll then march to the Exchange Bank’s Roseland branch on Dutton Avenue.
Exchange Bank officials stopped awarding Doyle Trust scholarships in 2008 after the bank suspended its dividend, the scholarship’s funding source.
Bank officials have said they hope to reinstate the scholarship when the economy becomes more stable.
Students gathered Thursday said they want school representatives to be involved in the scholarship board’s decisions.
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Oracle, whatever your real name may be:
Thank you for showing me Exchange Bank’s obligation to share its dividends, when there are dividends that can be shared.
Now perhaps this will answer your question about how much profit they need to make before they can reinstate dividends:
” Problem loans continue to be rigorously worked on a borrower by borrower basis. Since 12/31/08, non-performing assets have shrunk 30% from $75MM to $52MM; however, still remain short of a goal to be under $30MM.
In spite of these improved results, our community Bank remains cautious as to their outlook for the near term as they see the local economy performing at an anemic and uneven pace. As a key measurement of business conditions, the bank sees many of our consumer and business customers still struggling through this weak recovery. The housing market is bumping along at the bottom and the healing in the job market has been gradual at best.
“We are proud of the core strength displayed with these results and we are pleased to report our tenth consecutive profitable quarter”, stated President and Chief Executive Officer William R. Schrader. “Our work to restoring our community Bank back to a full recovery is still incomplete. Reinstating the dividend remains our highest priority, however, for the near term, the level of problem assets and the uncertainty we still have with regard to the sustainability of this soft recovery compels us to be practical in retaining our capital reserves and earnings. In our view, having extra capital on hand is a wise strategy as we work through this difficult time period.
Our recovery in asset quality will proceed throughout this year and into at least 2012 and beyond. Our progress will track the recovery of the local economy and may perhaps be uneven at times. This work will unquestionably lead us back to the level of balance sheet quality that we maintained for decades and it will produce the type of performance that will again support a cash dividend”.
So what I see from Exchange Bank is a group of sane business people working to keep their heads above water. What I see from OSR is a gaggle of mopes who got an A- in their self-esteem classes and a D+ in math.
I apologize Mr. Karraker. I now realize we no longer live in a world that recognizes the legal obligations established by a Last Will and Testament: http://www.exchangebank.com/about/doyle.aspx . I stand corrected. What do you suggest we do with these “yelping brats” who recognize the Doyle Trust’s legal standing? I’m not sure your name-calling will be enough to counter their logic.
Oracle: Exchange Bank is legally obligated to fund the Doyle Scholarship? That would mean they signed a contract. Care to show me a copy?
Using your progressive logic, I believe you are legally obligated to give me all your shoes. Just leave them in a prominent place so I can swing by and pick them up.
How much more profit will Exchange Bank need to make before it reinstates its legally obligated Doyle Scholarship funding program?
If it is the banks and big business you are protesting…then don’t be an idiot and protest against cities. Stop being cowards and pick your fight with who you are angry with but don’t go and try to be in the face of those who are suffering as well. Occupy idiots is what you really are!
If you watch the city council video in Sebastopol, you’ll hear one of the campers saying that “….we are a 9, 10 day old new Government…”
This mentality is not only ignorant, but it’s dangerous to those who are being mislead into believing those unanomous leaders giving them their marching orders. Collapsing our Nation’s system is NOT the answer to our financial and political corruption, but it is exactly the plan of the leaders behind the scenes of this distructive movement.
The young people who are out there in the elements are being used by those who choose to be nameless and refuse to camp next to the young people. Why are they choosing this local issue? Because it is directly connected to college students where they can recruit more young people for their movement.
Take a look around the Nation to where these camps are setting up…this is strategiclly planned and organized. NO grassroots movement would ever be this organized in the amount of time this movement took off. Come on now…look at the websites that are so professionally set up…where did they get the money?
The good thing is that the curtains are being pulled back to reveal the Progressive Wizard behind Occupy, along with the evils of Socializm (and yes, Sociaizm is a bad word), Marxizm and Communizm. Keep on clicking your heels together people so we can get back to our land of oz…America – The great Republic!
Who will they target next, the hand that feeds them? Where are the parents of these people? Most of the occupiers are people who get some kind of governmental assistance but apparently it isn’t enough to satisfy them. They are out there demanding more free stuff.
The government is flat broke, well actually 15 trillion below flat broke. Are these occupiers serious when they ask for more money from the government? We should just fire all the lawmakers who advocate for more spending of any kind and elect people who promise to cut spending as much as possible. Only then will there be any hope of avoiding a complete financial breakdown of our nation. Party’s over!
Occupy Santa Rosa said they will support local banks… yet they are picketing the local Exchange Bank for their temporary suspension of the Doyle Scholarship. Exchange Bank, which already planned on reinstating the scholarship when profits allow, has donated millions of dollars to the scholarship program for thousands of students. Why not picket the other banks who have not been as generous as Exchange Bank?
In response to the quote, “It’s important to do something so no more gets taken away,” Exchange Bank hasn’t taken away money over the last few years; it was just giving it away very generously the previous years. Just another claim of entitlement like occupiers.
From 1948 until 2008, Exchange Bank – a local bank — awarded Doyle Scholarships to Sonoma County students who attended SRJC. When Exchange Bank had to suspend the Doyle Scholarship, due to the bank’s own financial challenges, Sonoma County residents understood and were confident that EB would in time restore the scholarships. Exchange Bank should restore the Doyle Scholarships when it’s financially feasible for them to do so, not because they were bullied by Occupy Santa Rosa.
Gorin comes across as that little grandma who just wants love, peace and socialism.
But she is really down for the struggle. Her statements during the occupiers encampment reflect her true views of how she views the revolution.
Now she finds herself in the wrong district and she has to move to run for the board of stupidvisors.
Gorin is an expensive political luxury in this great recession and high unemployment. If you like high taxes, high unemployment and lots of government debt, Gorin is your candidate, if she can sell her unwater house. She has the track record to prove it.
On Nov. 9, I wrote to the Santa Rosa City Council members and the city manager to express my concerns before the Special Meeting on Nov. 10 where they were planning to vote on issuing special permits to allow OSR to camp legally. On Nov. 12, I received the response below from Councilperson Susan Gorin. Please note her solution to the damage the group might cause to city property……..I wonder how the fundraising is going to pay for the damage? Something tells me” the check is not in the mail!”
I appreciate your email and recognize that you and others have real concerns about what is happening and where this movement is going. Actually, your comment is only one of a handful received expressing concern about the encampment, but I know that many more share your concerns.
Occupy Santa Rosa and supporting groups are already working on fundraising and volunteer efforts to repair any damage incurred by the tents. Since the City has wanted to convert our water-consuming turf, now is a good opportunity to do that.
As you pointed out, any protesters have the right of free assembly and speech at city hall. They could be there 24/7. Camping is the issue. By issuing permits, we have more control over what happens on the lawn and the right to ask trouble-makers to leave. None of us want to see what is happening in Oakland repeated here.
The council is working with the Occupy organizers to take this to the logical next step. Our community recognizes the sensitivity of this.
Thanks for writing.
Susan Gorin