Occupy L.A. camp could be nearing the end

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck told the LAT this morning that city officials are working with the protesters to establish some sort of exit strategy. A meeting is set for today. From the Times:

In stark contrast to the forcible eviction and mass arrest of protesters in New York, Oakland and other cities, Los Angeles police and elected officials have taken a markedly less aggressive stance with the occupiers. Beck, however, said in a brief interview Tuesday morning that the tent city surrounding City Hall is not sustainable. The ongoing talks between the sides are focused on finding some compromise that would see the protesters voluntarily break down the camp.

The Washington Post's Ezra Klein assesses Occupy Wall Street, where all this got started.

The movement has already scored some big wins ... Income inequality is now a top-tier issue. Before Occupy Wall Street, it wasn't. And perhaps that will be the legacy of Occupy Wall Street. That would certainly be more than most protests achieve. If they are to go further, however, they are going to have to figure out a way to wield power in a more direct and directed form. The movement has always been uncertain on whether it wants to do that, and if it does, how to do it. It requires a willingness to work with the system that is, in certain ways, inimical to the founding of Occupy Wall Street.

Frankly, I'm not sure what all OWS accomplished. A resistance to working within the system - or even laying out a plan of action - made it hard to take this bunch seriously (even though some commentators desperately tried), and the sporadic appearance of organized labor further clouded the agenda. Sorry, the anti-agenda.


More by Mark Lacter:
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A look around inside the Broad
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Mark Lacter
Mark Lacter created the LA Biz Observed blog in 2006. He posted until the day before his death on Nov. 13, 2013.
 
Mark Lacter, business writer and editor was 59
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