300 arrested in Occupy Oakland protests

[SunsetDreams]

Oakland police deploy smoke and tear gas to stop protesters with the Occupy Oakland as they march through the streets of downtown Oakland, Calif., Saturday Jan. 28, 2012. With plans to take over a vacant building, Occupy Oakland spokesman Leo Ritz-Barr said the action "signals a new direction for the Occupy movement: putting vacant buildings at the service of the community." (Michael Macor,(AP Photo/San Francisco Chronicle)

AP) OAKLAND, Calif. — Dozens of police maintained a late-night guard around City Hall following daylong protests that resulted in 300 arrests. Occupy Oakland demonstrators broke into the historic building and burned a U.S. flag, as officers earlier fired tear gas to disperse people throwing rocks and tearing down fencing at a convention center.
Saturday's protests — the most turbulent since Oakland police forcefully dismantled an Occupy encampment in November — came just days after the group said it planned to use a vacant building as a social center and political hub and threatened to try to shut down the port, occupy the airport and take over City Hall.

An exasperated Mayor Jean Quan, who faced heavy criticism for the police action last fall, called on the Occupy movement to "stop using Oakland as its playground."

"People in the community and people in the Occupy movement have to stop making excuses for this behavior," Quan said.

Protesters clashed with police throughout the day, at times throwing rocks, bottles and other objects at officers. And police responded by deploying smoke, tear gas and bean bag rounds, City Administrator Deanna Santanta said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57367945/300-arrested-in-occupy-oakland-protests/


Oakland Police block the entrance to City Hall after Occupy Oakland protesters gained access into the building during an Occupy Oakland protest, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. (Credit: AP Photo/Beck Diefenbach)


Occupy Oakland protesters burn an American flag found inside Oakland City Hall during a protest on the steps of City Hall, Saturday, January 28, 2012, in Oakland, Calif. (Credit: AP Photo/Beck Diefenbach)


Protesters with Occupy Oakland march through the streets of downtown Oakland, Calif., Saturday Jan. 28, 2012. (Credit: AP Photo/San Francisco Chronicle, Michael Macor)

[greytdemocrat]

1. It's a little too late there Mayor...

What an idiot.

[ProSense]

2. Her comment

jumped out at me too: "stop using Oakland as its playground."

What the hell does that mean?

People are free to engage in peaceful protest/demonstrations/sit-ins. No one has the right to incite a riot, and the police should not be attacking peaceful protesters.

Quan seems to lack the ability or desire to articulate support for peaceful protests or to keep her city's police department in check.

[randome]

3. As I understand it, they weren't engaged in a 'peaceful protest'.

Weren't they trying to take over a building? If that's the case, then of COURSE the police were called in. That's what law enforcement is for.

[ProSense]

4. Well,

As I understand it, they weren't engaged in a 'peaceful protest'.

Weren't they trying to take over a building? If that's the case, then of COURSE the police were called in. That's what law enforcement is for.

...I don't have all the facts. There were reports of vandalism, but were all the protesters involved? I was simply pointing out that saying, "stop using Oakland as its playground," is a completely inappropriate response.

Also, occupying a building in and of itself is not inciting a riot. Students stage sit-ins on college campus all the time. People occupied the Wisconsin State House during the labor protests.

[wiggs]

8. the fencing was damaged when protesters were being corraled and weren't being allowed the

required two pathways of exit and chances to disperse. They then took off over a barracade.

The city hall business was not official occupy oakland. maybe not protestors. maybe the work of one or two people whose motives aren't aligned with occupy. same with flag burning.

apparently the protestors were ENTIRELY peaceful with a day of feeding the needy, panel discussions, and yoga planned...until police in riot gear showed up and started aggressive behavior.

[SunsetDreams]

9. All I know is I wasn't there

so I'm not sure how it went down. I do know incidents like this are not helping the message of Occupy. I really think that the violence is a result of people with an agenda that are trying to make Occupy look bad. What troubles me by your posts in this thread, is that you are ceding that the flag burning and the City hall was not Occupy Oakland. But when it comes to the reporting of rocks and bottles being thrown at Police, you say they only did that after Police used batons, tear gas and it was just "something thrown", but it wasn't a rock or bottle. You say the media is lying on that reporting, but cede that they are not on the other events. Isn't it possible also, that the rocks and bottles were being thrown at Police BEFORE the tear gas etc, is also true? Isn't it possible that it is also the work of people whose motives aren't aligned with Occupy? I don't know I wasn't there.

[bigtree]

5. I like the last photo

the sign . . . a worthy endeavor, I think, to draw attention to abandoned spaces and their potential for public accommodation.

[T S Justly]

6. K&R (nt)

[wiggs]

7. Description of the event appears to be inaccurate according to

comments made during livestreaming. The police became aggressive first and someone may have thrown an object (though not a rock or bottle) in response. Then it was on and the police used batons, tear gas, smoke bombs, and rubber bullets. 300 were arrested...many AFTER the police declared an unlawful assembly and people were just standing around. Those people, it was reported live, were NOT allowed to leave despite OPD policy to allow people to leave if they want.

DUrs should know by now that official reports can be highly inaccurate. So can live reporting I guess, but the point is that OFFICIAL reports always have an agenda and accuracy isn't always at the top of the list.

[WI_DEM]

10. I wonder what Governor Brown is going to do?