Oakland city council member Patricia Kernighan was concerned about public safety.

She was particularly concerned about the turmoil and disruption that Occupy brought to Oakland. So she proposed an ordinance that would outlaw bringing to demonstrations some of the common “tools of violence” that Occupiers frequently used, such as impact-resistant shields, hammers, aerosol cans, pressurized paint sprayers, paint projectiles, and fire accelerants—all of which have been deployed by Occupy Oakland.