Occupy SFV Leaves Van Nuys Civic Center Mall Unoccupied

Occupy San Fernando Valley, a group of about 20 to 30 people protesting the business practices of the banking industry, gathered in the Van Nuys Civic Center Plaza and voicing their opinions in front of a few banks along Van Nuys Boulevard.

After warnings from police that the Civic Center Mall closes at 7 p.m., the group, unsure of what the police reaction would be if they stayed and lacking the large numbers of the Occupy Los Angeles movement that has been going on downtown for several weeks, left the plaza by 7:30 p.m. without incident.

According to its Facebook page the protest movement is planning a demonstration at the Sherman Oaks Galleria today at 1 p.m.

Over 480 people have "liked" the group on Facebook, leading many to believe the protest would be much larger. The police were among those that had anticipated bigger numbers, as there were nearly as many police on hand as protesters.

Earlier in the day, Los Angeles Police Department officers handed out notices to the protesters entitled, "Rules For Community and Expressive Events-Van Civic Center Complex." The flier indicated that the Civic Center Mall would be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, and the area would be closed from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily.

Other rules include,"No tents, no camping, no cooking, no blocking buildings."

Overnight protests have not been banned at the downtown Los Angeles City Hall, and LAPD spokeswoman Rosario Herrera said questions about the differing policies "are for the mayor's office." Several hundred protestors have been camped downtown -- with the support of the mayor and majority of the city council -- for three weeks.

But the LAPD is taking a hard line at its satellite City Hall in the San Fernando Valley, home to municipal offices, a courthouse, and a building that architecturally mimics the big City Hall 20 miles away.

At 6:30 p.m., as the group was holding a meeting, some members glanced over at the small media presence, and loudly denounced the "mainstream media" because they were part of large corporations. And corporations are "the enemy." The media present consisted of two local television news crews waiting in the wings for soundbites, and Patch. The members even talked about "not giving the media what they want" by refusing to give permission to interview and videotape them.

Van Nuys Division LAPD Captain Paul Snell approached the group and politely informed them that the plaza must be cleared at 7:30 p.m., as the Occupy SFV organizers had promised. LAPD actually let them stay past the initial 7 p.m. closing time.

As the group picked up their signs, belongings and trash, they decided to regroup on the sidewalk in front of Van Nuys City Hall, in front of the fire station on Sylvan Street.

The TV news cameras swooped in to cover the departure and to possibly get some quick soundbites. It appeared that only one Occupy SFV member spoke on camera with a reporter. After getting their shots, the news crews abruptly left.

And in the move from the plaza to the sidewalk, about half the group actually packed it up for the day and left the grounds. The rest stayed to discuss more issues about the group's actual organization and immediate actions. It appeared that the group shunned having any sense of hierarchy, or titles of leadership. When asked if their group had a leader, one of the other main organizers, Amber Barrera of North Hollywood, stated that she was just an "organizer," although she acted as liaison to the group in negotiating with the police on their extended stay in the plaza.

They voted on a few things like the approved hand signals they would use during domonstrations, and whether or not they should invite City Councilman Paul Krekorian to talk to the group. Most of the group liked that idea at first, but then it was bought up that Krekorian was part of "the establishment" because he was a politician. So they decided to table the discussion until a later time.

Occupy San Fernando Valley then discussed what they may want to do next to promote their cause. Should they protest in front of Staples Center, where Laura Bush and others would be for the "Get Motivated" seminars? Or maybe they should protest at another event in the San Fernando Valley? Or, should they go to the Halloween Parade in Hollywood to try to drum up support?

Another member disliked the Halloween Parade idea and said they should concentrate on doing outreach in the San Fernando Valley, and grow their numbers before going out to other places to protest.

Someone else asked, "Is there an Occupy Hollywood?"

During the meeting, a few people walked up, some with hesitation, and asked, "Is this the Occupy San Fernando Valley movement?" Not seeing any tents or a large gathering of protesters may have confused some of them, but they were welcomed warmly by the small group.

Then someone mentioned changing the name of Occupy San Fernando Valley to something that didn't include the word "occupy" in the name.

Even with such a small group, it seemed hard for Occupy San Fernando Valley get a consensus on anything, even on keeping their name.

A Van Nuys Division LAPD officer, walking back to his patrol car, commented: "There's not much occupying going on over there."

The City News Service contributed to this report.