Occupy L.A: Zuma Dogg Wades Into Hostile 99 Percenter Crowd at City Hall, Claims he Was Attacked by 'Mob'

By Dennis Romero Thu., Nov. 3 2011 at 8:02 AM

Zuma vs. Occupy.

Why, you ask, do we here at LA Weekly care about Zuma Dogg, the sometimes-utterly-insane City Hall gadfly? We don't always agree with his politics, and his tweets about taking his last breaths for want of food and cash can be annoying.

But you have to admit -- he's entertaining. His forays into Occupy L.A. (to "occupy Occupy, y'all!") are riveting.

Few have had the balls (radio conservatives John & Ken did) to put themselves in the middle of Occupy L.A.'s City Hall encampment in order to challenge the groupthink (or lack thereof) there. Z.D. did it again this week:

Video streaming by Ustream

And he claims he was attacked by a "mob" and greeted as a "non-occupier." His video appears to show (and tell) that people in the Occupy crowd unplugged his microphone, took a chord, and generally tried to shout him down.

At times he called for police intervention. (Ironically, Senor Dogg has been a critic of police and has even threatened to sue).

While the events captured on-video aren't as bad as he describes, Mr. Dogg does have to shout and argue his way to a successful denouement, in which he decries the L.A. City Council for allegedly being in bed with the kinds of "1 percenter" foes hated by the Occupy movement.

(The council officially endorsed the movement and, even though there are signs it's wearing out its welcome on the City Hall lawn, has generally tried to hitch its trailer to the populist train engineered by the "99 percenters").

Zuma Dogg put the gist of his argument in a blog item posted yesterday:

Occupy LA is a joke. Zuma Dogg has been "walkin' the walk" the last four or five years against exactly what they claim to be protesting against. He has pointed out in the proper forum the fraud, waste and abuse that has taken place in Los Angeles all in the name of Corporate greed. As City Council has funneled hundreds of million dollars to large corporations in the form of tax breaks, subsidies and outright gifts, Zuma Dogg has been there every step of the way trying to inform a disinterested public about exactly what has been going on. Occupy LA will cry about the First Amendment rights the first time they feel threatened. Zuma Dogg has done more for the fight to protect that crucial right than anyone in recent history. If Occupy LA was for real, instead of attacking Zuma Dogg when he walks through their encampment, they should welcome him as the true leader in the fight against the evils of corporate greed and a complicit city government.

It's a fair point of view. One that could have been made from the comfort of one's pajamas at home.

[@dennisjromero/djromero@laweekly.com]

Tags:

City Hall, Los Angeles, Occupy LA, Occupy Wall Street, OWS, Zuma Dogg

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Alex Schaefer

i totally disagree. This point could not have been made in one's pajamas from one's home. You have to go to occupy LA as it is manifest presently to understand that it is not free speech, it is controlled speech. Zuma Dogg is a free speech hero

Guest

Alex - you are correct about the current nature of Occupy LA. As Mr. Dog states, "Occupy LA is a joke." The weed smell no longer covers up the urine smell. You must enjoy the smell of urine if you want to be at City Hall. The group claims to be against oppression but not only at city hall but in Oakland and elsewhere we see incessant evidence of these occupiers oppressing others. Mr. Dog is an actor.

Alex Schaefer

yes Zuma Dogg is an actor but "Occupy LA" is political theater! City Council meetings are political theater too, so I'm glad Zuma knows his craft. AND he knows his stuff! Occupy blew it with Zuma and lost credibility. The occupiers should be on their laptops right now watching his youtube clips and learning from the master. Every city needs a Zuma Dogg right now!

anonymous

Zuma was the first person I know of who focused attention on how business is done in City Hall. Regardless of his follies, he has has more guts than most anyone involved with CH. The Occupy LA movement with its focus on banks, a problem, but not the most pressing problem in LA, may as well leave the scene. Our Mayor & City Council are the worst and the biggest problem in LA, and anyone who does not recognize that should not be on the CH lawn.

Guest

It was FUNNY AS HELL to see the police just stand there and laugh at Mr. Dog's tizzy. He begged them to follow him into the encampment but they would not. Priceless!

Hmong

Yeah, yeah! ZD: "Hey, fuck the po-lice at Venice Beach. This here is Zuma Dogg, y'all. I'm at Occupy LA. Hey, where's my cord!? Keep filming, Matt! Help! Police! I'm being 'attacked.'"

rickabrams

Z.D. is a hero of mine -- not because he is always the epitome of discretion, but because he can be in your face. More likely than not, Z.D. will be right on the issues and the courts have agreed with him. Z.D. has actually fought the good fight and he has vindicated people's rights.

This time he clings to his intellectual honesty and he Speaks Truth to a different type of power. Others have pointed out that the Occupy LA crowd appear to be all cozy with the Bankers' Best Friend, wannabe Mayor Eric Garcetti, but Z.D. had the integrity to do more than I have done. He physically took that message to the simple minded folk at Occupy L.A.

Do tea baggers have the right to be upset? Yes. Do they have the right to be shills for the Koch Bros? I think not -- protecting the major culprits behind the evil of which you complain is morally reprehensible.

So too Occupy L.A. has a right to be upset, but they are morally compromised when they protect the Hall of Corruption from criticism.

Once again ZUMA DOG is right.