‘Kill the Police’: Cops Arrest Hundreds of Occupy Oakland Protestors After Street Clashes
(The Blaze/AP)-- Police arrested hundreds of Occupy Oakland protesters last Saturday night for failing to disperse hours after officers used tear gas on over a thousand demonstrators who threw rocks and flares at them and tore down fences. More help from other police agencies arrived on scene for the mass arrests, with busloads of Alameda County sheriff's deputies arriving in the downtown area late Saturday night.
Here is video taken from the livestream that shows police warning protestors that mass arrests are about to begin (content warning for profanity):
Police Sgt. Christopher Bolton said the arrests came after protesters marched through downtown Oakland a little before 8 p.m. Saturday, with some of them entering a YMCA building. At different moments on the livestream video, protestors could be heard yelling "Kill the police" and "F**k the police." This clip captures the moment on the livestream that police began the mass arrests:
Earlier in the day, police used tear gas and "flash" grenades on the group Saturday afternoon after some demonstrators threw rocks and other objects at them. Police said three officers were hurt, but they released no details. This clip shows Occupy Oakland protestors in retreat after police opened fire with rubber bullets and tear gas:
Police said the group assembled at a downtown plaza Saturday morning, with demonstrators threatening to take over the vacant Henry Kaiser Convention Center. The group then marched through the streets, disrupting traffic. The crowd grew as the day wore on, with afternoon estimates ranging from about 1,000 to 2,000 people. Oakland Police also deployed batons to deal with rowdy protestors, as seen below:
The protesters walked to the vacant convention center, where some started tearing down perimeter fencing and "destroying construction equipment" shortly before 3 p.m., police said. Police said they issued a dispersal order and used smoke and tear gas after some protesters pelted them with bottles, rocks, burning flares and other objects. Here police are seen on video firing rubber bullets into the crowd:
Most of the day-time arrests were made when protesters ignored orders to leave and assaulted officers, police said. By 4 p.m., the bulk of the crowd had left the convention center and headed back downtown. The demonstration comes after Occupy protesters said earlier this week that they planned to move into a vacant building and turn it into a social center and political hub. They also threatened to try to shut down the port, occupy the airport and take over City Hall. In a statement Friday, Oakland City Administrator Deanna Santana said the city would not be "bullied by threats of violence or illegal activity." Interim police Chief Howard Jordan also warned that officers would arrest those carrying out illegal actions. The Associated Press has aerial footage of the protest march in daytime:
Oakland officials said Friday that since the Occupy Oakland encampment was first established in late October, police have arrested about 300 people. The national Occupy Wall Street movement, which denounces corporate excess and economic inequality, began in New York City in the fall but has been largely dormant lately. Oakland, New York and Los Angeles were among the cities with the largest and most vocal Occupy protests early on. The demonstrations ebbed after those cities used force to move out hundreds of demonstrators who had set up tent cities. In Oakland, the police department received heavy criticism for using force to break up earlier protests. Among the critics was Mayor Jean Quan, who said she wasn't briefed on the department's plans. Earlier this month, a court-appointed monitor submitted a report to a federal judge that included "serious concerns" about the department's handling of the Occupy protests. In a statement Friday, Oakland City Administrator Deanna Santana said the city would not be “bullied by threats of violence or illegal activity.” Interim police Chief Howard Jordan also warned that officers would arrest those carrying out illegal actions. The Occupy Wall Street movement, which denounces corporate excess and economic inequality, began in New York City in the fall but has been largely dormant lately.
Oakland, New York and Los Angeles were among the cities with the largest and most vocal Occupy protests early on. The demonstrations ebbed after those cities used force to move out hundreds of demonstrators who had set up tent cities. In Oakland, the police department received heavy criticism for using force to break up earlier protests. Among the critics was the mayor, who said she wasn’t briefed on the department’s plans." Earlier in the day, protestors clashed with police who used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse them. You can see a series of video clips below taken from the Occupiers' livestream camera during the riot:
