Occupy Oakland Protestors Unofficially Rename Frank Ogawa Plaza

Kenji C. Liu is fundraising to distribute posters and postcards he designed about Frank Ogawa and Oscar Grant to bring awareness to Frank Ogawa Plaza where Occupy Oakland had set up an encampment.

The city of Oakland cleared the Occupy Oakland encampment Nov. 14 where, according to a Nov. 8 press release, an estimated 180 tents were set up at Frank Ogawa Plaza.

By Nalea J. Ko, Reporter
November 18, 2011

Occupy Oakland protestors say they started seeing homemade signs marking the unofficial renaming of Frank Ogawa Plaza to honor Oscar Grant when the first tents in the encampment sprouted up.

The unofficial renaming of Frank Ogawa Plaza was a symbolic gesture, some protestors say, to highlight Grant who was killed by a BART police officer.

But some Asian Americans in Oakland, Calif. say renaming the plaza erases the history of Ogawa, a Japanese American and a long-time city councilman.

“I could understand the reasons because there’s been so much emotion understandably around the killing of Oscar Grant and at the same time it surprised me. I felt actually this kind of deep physical stabbing sensation in my heart,” said Patricia Mushim Ikeda, a JA who resides in Oakland. “But just speaking for myself it just felt like a loss to me, surprisingly, to hear it being called Oscar Grant Plaza.”

It was New Year’s Day in 2009 when Grant, a 22-year-old African American, was killed. Grant and other men were detained at the Fruitvale BART station after a report of a fight on a train. Trying to restrain Grant, BART police officer Johannes Mehserle shot him in the back at an Oakland platform while passengers watched. The incident was recorded by multiple passengers’ video cameras.

Mehserle, who said he had meant to use his Taser, was sentenced to two years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. He was released June 1 after serving about 11 months in prison. The incident incited violent and peaceful protests in the city.

Identifying with Grant’s story, some protestors at Occupy Oakland adopted the name Oscar Grant Plaza for their campsite.

“By renaming the plaza we meant no disrespect to Frank Ogawa,” said 27-year-old William, a member of the Occupy Oakland media team, who agreed to speak only on partial anonymity. “Certainly we want to preserve his legacy and we just were trying to draw attention to those names that are typically ignored or seen in a negative light because of police brutality and the history of ignoring communities that have been disenfranchised.”

Ogawa, born in 1917, was unjustly interned in Topaz during World War II. After the war, he returned to Oakland operating a nursery business. Later Ogawa became involved in politics and was elected to the city council in 1966. He served until his death in 1994. Ogawa was said to be the first JA to serve in that capacity. The Oakland City Hall Plaza was named in his honor after his death.

Unofficially renaming the Frank Ogawa Plaza in honor of Grant was not meant, some protestors say, to detract from Ogawa’s contributions to the city.

“People have chosen to call the plaza Oscar Grant Plaza in honor of yet another person murdered by police in the Bay Area,” said Stephanie Demos, 54, who adds that her views do not necessarily represent the entire Occupy Oakland movement. “This was done with no disrespect to Frank Ogawa. In fact, there are images that were made honoring both.”

To bring attention to the renaming of the plaza, a fundraiser is being held to raise $740 for the printing of posters and postcards, which will later be distributed at Occupy Oakland for free. About $670 was raised as of Nov. 14.