Are You Suffering from Protest Fatigue?

A recent op-ed by Debra Saunders of the San Francisco Chronicle — titled, Add Occupy Cal to our protest fatigue — claimed that the Occupy protests are burdening and inconveniencing the Bay Area, and that public officials and leaders are getting fed up. 

Saunders wrote:

The 99 percent of Northern Californians who want to go about their business are being jammed with protests and forced to pay for shutdowns imposed by the 1 percent of activists who don't know the difference between free speech and free camping.

After witnessing the turmoil of Occupy Oakland in recent weeks — including the recent shooting death of an Occupy Oakland camper, "protest fatigue" has set in, according to Saunders. Police plan to raid and dismantle Occupy Oakland's encampment Monday morning, and San Francisco supervisors have passed a resolution supporting Occupy SF, but allowing police to use force in the interests of public safety. In , UC Berkeley administrators made it clear that the university would not allow protesters to break campus rules — even if meant police arresting students or using force to break up demonstrations.

Berkeley is no stranger to protests. But, according to Saunders, this makes city leaders, police and officials even less likely to allow another Occupy Oakland here.

"They know the hell of an entrenched protest," wrote Saunders. "They know Protest Fatigue. And they see the wisdom in not letting chaos take hold."

Are you suffering from protest fatigue? Do you agree that the Occupy movements and protests are causing more harm than good for the Bay Area? How has the Occupy movement affected your daily life? Share your thoughts in the comments.