Oakland's Frank Ogawa Plaza which Occupy folk liked to refer to as Oscar Grant Plaza for reasons that only sort of make sense is finally getting restored after looking brown and patchy for the last nine months. The last protesters were cleared out of the plaza in January, along with that teepee, and what they left behind was a big swath of what used to be nice lawn, but had turned brown and dead after months of foot-stomping and tents living on it. Now, the City of Oakland is finally getting around to doing a restoration project on City Hall's front lawn, just in time for the nice weather and (perhaps?) another round of Occupy protests.
It was no coincidence that the Occupy stuff started last September, just as milder weather came to New York City and warmer weather hit the Bay Area. So, we have to wonder what comes next as the Occupy season returns and after everyone decompresses from Burning Man. Thus it makes sense that Oakland chose to wait until now to re-sod the lawn on Frank Ogawa Plaza, which will remain fenced off until late November so that the grass can become "reestablished."
The project is costing $95,000, Oakland North reports, and Oakland is paying for it in part out of savings accrued from not having a lawn to maintain all these months.
Will some civilly disobedient kids try to bust down the fence just as the lawn is looking nice and cushy? Time will tell.
