Violence among the Occupy protests is well-documented, but this story is especially gruesome: a 15-year-old Occupier is suspected of murdering his adoptive parents, who objected to the amount of time the boy spent at Occupy Oakland.
A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his adoptive parents after reportedly arguing with them over how much time he was spending at an Occupy protest camp.
Robert Kamin, 55, and Susan Poff, 50, were found strangled under blankets in a car outside their home in Oakland, California.
Police believe someone then tried to set fire to the car which was charred.
Friends and relations said the couple had worked tirelessly for the poor, and adopted because they wanted to help a disadvantaged child. Their adopted son was a black belt in karate and played violent video games.
Mr Kamin, a graduate of Stanford University, was a clinical psychologist working with prison inmates in San Francisco jails.
Ms Poff, a Berkeley graduate, was a doctor's assistant who worked with the homeless.
Colleagues told the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper that the couple had been having difficulties with their son and some of that was to do with him spending too much time at the Occupy Oakland encampment.
Meanwhile, the Oakland police force is overburdened with work thanks to the city's especially troubled Occupation, including a mass break-in at City Hall.
“My officers are tired – exhausted,” [Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan] said. “We’ve had five homicides…Let’s keep things in perspective.”
Oakland police arrested an estimated 400 people Saturday during a day of protests that began with an attempt to take over a building and ended with mass arrests and a break-in and vandalism at City Hall.
During confrontations with protesters, police officers were pelted with bottles, metal pipe, rocks, spray cans, improvised explosive devices and burning flares, according to police.
Police said they used smoke bombs, beanbag projectiles and tear gas, and protestors at the scene reported officers using batons on the crowd.
Protesters who broke into City Hall Saturday evening shattered an interior window in a hearing room, tipped over and damaged a historic model of City Hall, destroyed a case holding a model of Frank Ogawa Plaza, stole flags and burned one flag in front of the building, City Administrator Deanna J. Santana said.
Despite the upswing in violence -- and now, this tragic murder -- the White House refuses to disavow the protests, and continues to insist that incidences of violence are simply local problems, and not indicative of a movement-wide proclivity for mayhem. In a statement yesterday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said:
With regards to Oakland, that’s obviously a local law enforcement matter. Here in Washington I would refer you for specifics to the U.S. National Park Services and U.S. Park Police. And our position has been and continues to be that we need to balance First Amendment concerns, the right to demonstrate, the right to speak freely with public safety concerns and public health concerns and we understand that whether it local law enforcement as well as in this case, the National Park Service and U.S. Park Police are weighing those considerations when making these decisions and that’s appropriate.
This coming from an administration that was more than comfortable blaming the Tea Party for Gabrielle Giffords' shooting last year -- no shouts for a "new tone" or civility as a result of the Occupy protests, though. Double standards are such fun, aren't they?
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