Aaron Glantz/The Bay Citizen

Oakland Jean Quan speaks to reporters about the raid on Occupy Oakland

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan once again walked a fine line on Friday between trying to prevent another violent confrontation between police and protesters camping in front of City Hall and maintaining health and safety laws.

At a news conference, the mayor said that while she doesn't want protesters "to camp downtown," she doesn't want to evict them "if closing the camp would create more violence."

The city spent an estimated $1 million to evict the protesters early Tuesday morning and clean up Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, according to city finance officials. By Wednesday evening, protesters had returned to the plaza and begun pitching tents, even though the city said they could not stay past 10 p.m.

Interim police Chief Howard Jordan told reporters, "We do not have any plans to take any police action at this point unless there is some call to service. We still have an obligation to maintain life and property throughout the city, and this plaza is not exempt."

He said there will be a "minimal presence" at the plaza.

Jordan said he visited with Scott Olsen, the Iraq war veteran who suffered a fractured skull Tuesday night when police fired tear gas and other non-lethal munitions during a protest in response to the eviction of Occupy Oakland.

Jordan said he met with Olsen's family and "expressed to them the process that has evolved since this incident." Olsen is in fair condition at Highland Hospital.

Both Jordan and Quan have apologized to Olsen for his injuries.

The incident remains under investigation. Quan said the city will release more information next week about the tactics officers used during the protests.

Police have not said what hit Olsen or which law enforcement agency was responsible for his injuries. Several law enforcement agencies assisted the Oakland Police Department in responding to the demonstration.

Jordan said seven police officers were injured when protesters assaulted them with bottles, rocks and hazardous materials.

"Some are back at work, some are not," he said.

Quan acknowledged that police and protesters may share responsibility for some of the violence at Tuesday night's demonstration.

"There may have been mistakes made, probably on both sides," Quan said.

Both the mayor and Jordan expressed interest in speaking with protesters.

"I wanted to talk to them, I still want to talk to them, and we stand ready to talk to them any time," Quan said.

But in the plaza on Friday, there seemed to be little appetite to hear the mayor's point of view. Demonstrators, irate over the police response to Tuesday's protest, called for Quan's resignation.

"I thnk she should resign, said Senaca Schacter, 29.  "I think the fact that she was in D.C. shows she’s out of touch." 

When liberal filmmaker Michael Moore, in town to express his support for the protest, mentioned Quan's name, the crowd booed. 

Peter Gaette, 39, an archeologist who lives in Oakland, said he didn't see why Quan had to speak at Occupy Oakland.

"I think she has many venues to speak, and she hasn’t taken much responsibility for her actions," he said. "I think it was a bad decision to leave such a big decision like that to her subordinates and then leave town."

Moore told the crowd that he would "try and talk to" Quan, but it's not clear whether he met with her.

Quan said she continued to support the goals of the protesters, who are seeking to close the gap between the rich and poor nationwide.

"Oakland is definitely part of the 99 percent," she said.

When asked if she has considered resigning, Quan said, "That's the last thing I'm thinking of."

"I always said this is a tough job," she said. "I have a job to do."