Today at 5 am, some 500 officers in full riot gear—drawn from police forces across central California—raided Occupy Oakland, clearing their camps in Frank H. Ogawa Plaza and Snow Park and arresting over 70 protestors. Police used tear gas, flash grenades, and rubber bullets against the nonviolent protestors in a draconian show of force. Initial reports suggest that police also had a sound cannon on-scene. Members of the press were also assaulted by police, tear-gassed, and prevented from entering areas within sight of police activity. Pictures are available here, with video here and a first-hand account of a police assault on a member of the press here.
Occupy Boston is deeply concerned about the actions of the various police departments that participated in the raid, as well as Oakland mayor Jean Quan’s decision to enforce minor city ordinances rather than respecting protestor’s First Amendment rights. We stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in California. Stand strong. We are all the 99%, and we are all with you.
34 Responses to “Police Raid Occupy Oakland”
so sad.
Syria could learn some lessons from us in disproportionate force.
Let’s keep this in perspective, now. Nobody’s getting killed, nobody’s getting hauled off to a torture chamber. Hyperbole isn’t going to do any good.
Look, actual riot gear
Unfortunately, the only people rioting were the police.
Yeah, I wasn’t there. Clearly unfortunate it came to that.
‘Over 70 people were arrested and the camp gear was destroyed and/or stolen by the riot police.’
or stolen by the riot police?
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/10/24/pair-living-with-occupy-boston-protesters-arrested-for-selling-heroin/
Riot gear, four foot long batons, flash bangs, teargas, helicopters,and over 4 officers for every single “arrested detainee”, under the cover of darkness for seventy-five misdemeanor arrests? I’d hate to see the carnage over a few parking tickets in Oakland.
one of the pics posted was graffiti that said ‘fuck the pigs’
What revolutionaries!
pathetic
OMG someone wrote that? Maybe they were psychic. And what about free speech when we’re at it? Goddamit people can write what they want. Doesn’t mean you freaking launch an attack on them. What kind of country is this? Where are we heading when a protest barely registers in the mainstream media despite being clearly a global phenomenon yet it’s serious enough to warrant goddamn stormtroopers.
Yes, Ger, from what I’ve seen at the SF Chronicle and the LA Times, etc, this really seems to have been seriously wrong. (Unlike the silliness at the ‘Expanded Park’ in Boston which I think was way overblown by Occupy Boston.)
Both of those sources confirm tear gas and rubber bullets were used. RUBBER BULLETS? Are You Kidding Me???
There was no evidence that I’ve seen of a ‘riot’ that needed to be put down that way.
The police chief said that people were throwing rocks and bottles. They said two cops were injured. However, I was arrested 10 years ago yesterday in Hartford, for protesting against indiscriminate bombing in Kabul, and i was arrested. I was holding a sign, dressed in a clean white shirt. Nobody was throwing anything. We were peaceful. Yet, the police reports all said that protestors were throwing beer bottles and shouting out threats of violent acts. We had a few videocameras but the police took them all and destroyed the tapes. My point is that police lie — they can and do. I need to keep that in mind, and make sure others know it too. I heard an Oakland protestor in the Dianne Rehm show this morning and she said that beanbag projectiles were used as well as tear gas. Tear gas is horrible. I have tasted it in Nepal, and in a DC protest. It is serious, and there is no such thing as “a little tear gas” as the police claim to have used. A little will drive a person away and choke their breathing. It’s painful. Don’t know my exact point, except not to believe the police story, as it is probably fabricated in part.
Exactly what is a “shitbag junkie?” To allow yourself to call a human being something like that you must be suffering deeply from a lack of awareness and compassion. The whole world knows (except a few mean spirited and unaware people like you) that this movement is made up of a cross section of people. As a 51 year old citizen I am grateful that the young folks of this world have the energy to camp out and stand up for justice….and you should be too unless you are a banker or some such person who is benefitting big time from the inequalities in this world.
if the world solely consisted of people like you, the US would be in the Soviet Union. Normal (feudalistic) people now that compassion is something reserved for ones that are close to you, without revenge and brutality modern society would not be what it is today. GO SMOKE ANOTHER ONE.
I noticed a number of homeless there too. Do you think they should be kicked out?
Look at the videos on this page I link to. It looks like things had gone bad at Occupy Oakland even before the police busted it up and we had already lost the camp to the little Mussolinis.
http://www.pixiq.com/article/occupy-activists-need-to-brush-up-on-first-amendment-law#comment-54331
Yeah, I think Occupy Oakland has some pretty fundamental misunderstandings. Blame Oakland reporter for SF police abuses? Do a public protest to draw attention to your cause, and then don’t let a news camera in? What? And I say wearing a mask is stupid in two regards: 1) it won’t protect you from being identified; in fact it calls attention to you. If you’re going to lose your job over it, just stay home, and 2) it makes us look like hooligans and thugs, just like Fox News says we are. I’d like to ask our own Occupy Boston residents to take off their masks too. This is not (yet) an armed insurrection, and we’re not doing anything you should be ashamed to be associated with. The images are too damaging to our movement and our ability to attract the 90% of the 99% who are afraid of people in masks.
Looks like I spoke too soon (above) about the ‘rubber bullets’ thing. Should have waited for a later, more credible account. And now, having gotten one, it looks like Occupy Oakland provoked a showdown and got one.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/police-said-to-fire-tear-gas-at-protesters-in-oakland-calif/?hp
Also agree with your statements about the masks. It makes people think that they have something else on their agenda besides peaceful protest. And you’re right, it does frighten some, but it just pisses off many more.
An Oakland person called into the Dianne Rehm show this morning and said that beanbag projectiles were used. I don’t know the facts but that is one piece of evidence.
I totally agree with the comment about how stupid the masks are. I note that they’re worn by young people all under 25. Maybe it’s a phase. But this is not a game. You are free to do what you want, but that does not help the movement. It hurts it a lot. So does graffiti like “Fuck the pigs”. I am pretty down on a lot of the messaging that goes on by some people. I still believe in this movement, and have seen a lot of very beautiful and hopeful messages, and most people will stand up with their faces and their names. We’re not in an armed insurrection. The power of the movement is strongly appealing to basic common sense of right and wrong.
… but then again when you get tear gassed or see your friends getting gassed, it’s hard not to be pissed off.
The likelihood of this remaining a non-violent movement is slim. It’ll be prompted by errant police action and then exacerbated by the troublemakers who are new to the ranks.
I saw the 2 videos Crumb linked to and the Oakland folks acted like jerks, but still no reason to destroy their property and arrest them and destroy the camp.
Wonder what Gerry Brown has to say about this…
We can easily stay nonviolent in Boston because we have the winter to be violent and cruel. I hope we do something for Thanksgiving with the folks from the United American Indians of New England. It would be just the thing to bring these folks issues in the right way to the mainstream. And to show we still need their help.
[youtube]bytMNoKNeRA[/youtube]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bytMNoKNeRA&w=640&h=360%5D
Sorry about that. I have too much pride to ask how to imbed a video. This Oakland stuff is so messed up.
There are a number of people there who are homeless and/or with serious substance abuse problems .. but these people were on the street before Occupy Boston was there, and many of them may be on the street afterward. The thing to note is that Occupy Boston has a lot of caring individuals who welcome people no matter what their problems, and work with acceptance and love to understand and help them. The Occupy Boston group is talking a lot about how to help with addiction recovery, and how to help people out of the rock bottom points in their lives. To me, this is noble. Where else would you find such an accepting and caring group? Everyone could be there .. there but for the grace of god go I. I would hope that people would care for me rather than pass me by while i lie on the sidewalk. At least at Occupy Boston they can find shelter and food equal to the other people, and a person to listen and care. It’s not ideal, and it might make the movement appear to be “dirty rabble” but on the other hand, isn’t that beautiful when you really think about it? It could slow down the movement regarding political goals, but it could also strengthen its heart, and show how people can really care about each other.
Their not looking for help. Their stealing your shit. These people don’t want to be helped. I work in the area and all they are is scam artists. I’ve seen them start crying in the drop of a dime just to make someone feel bad for them to get $ for their next hit. Get them out…….
Thankfully there are people with attitudes different from yours. You can go your own separate way, but don’t knock people for trying to help others. Yes there have been some thefts … but today at Harvard where I work, there was a laptop theft too .. so what does that say about Harvard? Does that make the Herald? Theft happens everywhere. People use drugs everywhere. It’s just usually more hidden. At Occupy Boston we’re facing up to society’s problems, and we’re under the microscope. I have a lot to learn, and so do a lot of people. I have my problems, but i count my blessings and will lift up my brothers and sisters as much as i can.
Your the type of person that supports busing into the suburbs from the city “metco program” and you’ll be the first person bitching when your daughter brings home a black Guy.
Oh, JD, i guess you know it all, so why bother talking with me? Never heard of “Metco” i just care about people. If i had a daughter she could marry anyone she loves who treats her well. Next point? Anyway i better get back to work.
I’m from the Bay Area – many of my friends are involved in Occupy Oakland, are experienced activists, and peaceful.
If you look at the reports and the footage, the police clearly employed violent means to try to disperse a largely-peaceful encampment. There’s tons of video footage of the peaceful protesters – nurses, teachers, young and old alike, being gassed and violently arrested- and I couldn’t find a single image of the supposed rock-throwing. That’s not to say it didn’t happen, but it’s a gross exaggeration (and an obvious attempt to justify an overuse of force by the police) to say that that was the main thing happening. The first several uses of tear gas were to break up a peaceful protest – period.
Yes, protesters must be peaceful to keep their cause legitimate.
Police should be held to the same standard.
Here is a local TV news clip:
http://www.ktvu.com/video/29587140/index.html
Thank you for posting this! This is awful to see this happenning in the US…
on February 6th, 2012 at 7:06 am #
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