Supervisors hear public comments on Occupy SF and calls to support protesters and release local activist; board members introduce resolutions backing peaceful d

Dozens of members of the public addressed the Board of Supervisors during the general public-comment period on matters including Occupy San Francisco and the arrest of local activist DeBray "Flybenzo" Carpenter.

Multiple speakers asked the city to protect protesters' rights to peaceful assembly and to provide a city contact to coordinate logistics and sanitation. One speaker, who said she spoke for Occupy SF but not on behalf of the whole group, told the board there had been conflicting messages from city departments and asked for a designated contact so the protesters could work respectfully with city agencies.

"We have received a number of conflicting messages from the different departments as to regard of what is lawful," said Brian McKeown, who later asked when a special committee meeting would be held. "We're not getting much from the mayor."

Sean Siemens, an Occupy SF speaker, said the movement had received a show of support from labor: "We are very excited that we received a letter of solidarity from the San Francisco Building And Construction Trades Council earlier today," Siemens said. He also described communications problems with city departments and urged supervisors to press the mayor for solutions including portable toilets and other sanitation support.

Several supervisors subsequently announced that resolutions supporting the right to peaceful assembly would be introduced. Supervisor Mar said he and Supervisor Avalos were preparing a resolution backing Occupy Wall Street and Occupy SF and urging Mayor Lee to uphold protesters' rights and to collaborate with Occupy SF to ensure safety. "I strongly believe that the many hundreds or thousands of people ... that we are the 99% and that we're doing our best to challenge the bailouts of banks and billionaires," Mar said during his introductions.

A separate, large block of public comment focused on DeBray Carpenter, also known as "Flybenzo," a Bayview‑based community youth leader who supporters said was arrested and beaten in mid‑October. Multiple speakers asked the Board to intervene or urge the district attorney to reduce bail, citing Carpenter's status as a City College student and community organizer. Barbara Banks, identified as Carpenter's mother, told the board she was "proud of him" and feared for his safety.

"He is a straight A student at City College, and he's been trying to do the right thing," Banks said. She asked the Board for help to ensure Carpenter "isn't added to the list of people killed by the police."

Other speakers condemned heavy-handed police tactics elsewhere in the region and asked San Francisco to adopt a permissive posture toward peaceful demonstrators. Members of the public and community groups urged supervisors to take practical steps to help protect protesters' rights, including pressing city departments for sanitation services and ensuring a consistent city contact point for communication.

What the Board said and next steps

- Several supervisors said they planned to introduce and refer resolutions supporting the protesters' right to assemble to committee for expedited review. Supervisor Mar said his committee (City Operations and Neighborhood Services) might hold a special meeting on Monday to hear the matter sooner. - Multiple public‑safety, sanitation and outreach questions were raised; board members and staff did not announce a formal citywide operational change at this meeting but indicated they would pursue follow‑up with the mayor's office and departments.

The public-comment period illustrated friction between protest groups and city agencies over operational support and communication, and it led to at least one supervisory pledge to draft a resolution urging the mayor to facilitate safe, peaceful assembly.