By Khalida Sarwari
Police arrested seven more ‘Occupy San Jose’ protesters early this morning, and one protester remains perched atop a large wall outside City Hall.
It was Shaun O’Kelly’s third night on the wall, said Occupy San Jose protester Peter Brown, who is acting as a spokesman for the group.
Brown said O’Kelly won’t come down until he gets what he wants: the end of the ongoing removal of protesters from the plaza below.
“We know who he is,” police spokesman Officer Jose Garcia said this morning. “Rather than forcing a confrontation and risking him injuring himself, we’re going to wait for him to come down.”
He said O’Kelly could be cited or arrested when he descends.
In the meantime, the other protesters are passing food to O’Kelly in a plastic bag that he hoists to the top of the wall using a rope.
The seven protesters were arrested around 3:30 a.m. today. Four were arrested for misdemeanor illegal camping and booked into Santa Clara County Jail, and the three others were cited at the scene and released, Garcia said.
Brown said members of Occupy San Jose are planning to address the City Council this afternoon to dispel a perception of the protesters as being untidy and unsafe.
The group is also working on starting an online petition at Change.org to garner national support.
Brown said protesters are in need of food and other staples.
“We’re pretty much self-supportive,” he said.
Following the confiscation by police last week of most of their property, the group collected about $850 in donations from passersby within roughly 45 minutes, Brown said.
