Occupy Oakland's time in front of city hall may be coming to an end soon.
A day after saying she wanted to strike a deal for a more comfortable solution for the impromptu encampment in Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan went on KCBS radio and said she may need to move the camp soon.
"They have to take some responsibility, they have to step up," she told the radio station. "If they can't abide by not camping at night and they can't control the violence, they need to work with the city to move the camp to a place that will be less disruptive."
Quan also got an earful at this week's Oakland City Council meeting, where several local business owners said they are tired of the disruption downtown.
But Quan has to walk a delicate line. The first term mayor has been criticized by both sides of the political aisle at home and nationally.
The left in particular has questioned her leadership after Quan, then a councilwoman, was on the front lines of the Oscar Grant protests and then just last week as mayor she oversaw the violent crackdown on the Occupy encampment.
The mayor has also gone back and forth about her stance on the movement. She has said that she, and many other officials in city hall, support the goals of the occupy movement but she has also hinted that something needs to be done to move the encampment.
A violent outbreak that left several storefronts and banks in downtown Oakland damaged after Wednesday's general strike may have been the final push forcing Quan to do something.
"It is a no-win situation because I would guess a majority of people in the city support the movement in general," she said. "I just don't think they want it in their backyard."
Regardless of what path she takes, Quan is likely to face criticism for how she handles the protests.
