Oakland, California police moved in to break up hundreds of protesters marching to a vacant building they said they wanted to take over.
Oakland “will not be bullied by threats of violence or illegal activity. … Breaking into buildings, assaulting police officers, provoking confrontations and vandalizing property are tactics that are counterproductive and divide our community. They drain scarce city resources away from the neighborhoods in greatest need. Oakland deserves better.”
— Deanna Santana, City Administrator
4:30 p.m. Update from the City of Oakland …
Oakland, CA – By 12 pm, a crowd of approximately 250 had gathered in Frank Ogawa Plaza for the Occupy rally. Just before 1:30 pm, the group started marching southbound on Broadway. As the group of approximately 450 marched, traffic disruptions occurred on downtown streets. At approximately 2:15 pm, some of the marchers entered the campus of Laney College.
At 2:30 pm, marchers began tearing down perimeter fences around the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center. At approximately 2:50 pm, the first dispersal order was given as the crowd began destroying construction equipment and fencing. Officers were pelted with bottles, metal pipe, rocks, spray cans, improvised explosive devices and burning flares. Oakland Police Department deployed smoke and tear gas.
By 4 pm, the bulk of the Occupy crowd of approximately 500 has returned to Frank Ogawa Plaza.
As of this release, 19 protesters have been arrested. Most of the arrests were made on Oak Street when protesters ignored the dispersal order and assaulted officers. Three officers are confirmed to have been injured.
Mutual aid has been requested.
The City of Oakland welcomes peaceful forms of assembly and freedom of speech, but acts of violence, property destruction and overnight lodging will not be tolerated. The Oakland Police Department is also committed to facilitating peaceful forms of expression while protecting personal safety and property through ethical and constitutional policing.
The City has developed a variety of communication channels to keep the business community and the public informed of developments as they occur. This may include street closures or impacts to public transit. We encourage you to use the following:
We will post regular information updates on our web site: www.oaklandnet.com.
Oakland Police Department will distribute text/SMS and email alerts via Nixle public safety notification system. Visit www.nixle.com to register for these updates.
To receive alerts by email or wireless device, subscribe to the City of Oakland’s email/text updates system by entering your email address in the “Email Updates” section on the City’s home page, www.oaklandnet.com. If you would like to receive wireless alerts via mobile phone, be sure to check the “Send Wireless Alerts to this address” box and enter your mobile number and carrier. Once you’ve saved your subscriber preferences, be sure to select “Emergency Alerts for Merchants” or “Emergency Alerts for Residents.”
If you don’t have a computer, call 211 for information and/or updates. ␣ To report any tips on Occupy activity, call the Oakland Police
Department’s non-emergency line at (510) 777-3333 or send an email to [email protected].
8:30 p.m. Update from the City of Oakland …
Oakland, CA – At an 8:30 pm press briefing, Oakland officials provided updates on the Occupy activities in downtown Oakland.
“Once again, a violent splinter group of the Occupy Movement is engaging in violent actions against Oakland,” said Oakland Mayor Jean Quan. “The Bay Area Occupy Movement has got to stop using Oakland as their playground.”
Earlier today protesters unsuccessfully attempted to break into the historic Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, they charged a skirmish line at Oak Street and pelted officers with bottles, metal pipe, rocks, spray cans, improvised explosive devices and burning flares. Oakland Police Department deployed smoke, tear gas and beanbag projectiles.
By 4 pm, an Occupy crowd of approximately 300 had returned to Frank Ogawa Plaza. After a brief respite, the group returned to the streets and marched through downtown Oakland.
After ignoring a dispersal order, at approximately 6:30 pm, the arrest protesters invaded the YMCA and were arrested.
Simultaneously, a different group of protesters burnt an American flag in front of Oakland City Hall before breaking into the historic building. Damage to exhibits has been reported. Officers will be making arrests onsite. “There is no excuse for the behavior we experienced this evening,” said Council President Larry Reid when responding to an inquiry about damage to City Hall.
“From their own posts and their letter to the Mayor and City Council, the demonstrators’ stated intention was to provoke the police and engage in illegal activity,” said City Administrator Deanna J. Santana.
As of this release, the total arrests are estimated at 200. Three police officers and one protester have been injured and three private vehicles have been vandalized.
The City of Oakland has received mutual aid from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and the cities of Fremont, Hayward, Berkeley, Pleasanton and Union City/Newark.
+++++
The Occupy Oakland group is continuing The Oakland Rise-up Festival on Sunday, January 29, 2012 at Oscar Grant Plaza. With seminars, basically, on how to protest.
Live and recorded video from Occupy Oakland.
See also …
occupyoakland.org