It could have been a scene out of the Arab Spring, only it happened in Oakland.
The Oakland Police Department repeatedly fired rounds of tear gas, bean bags and rubber bullets at Occupy Oakland protesters last night and this morning. The OPD have denied the use of flashbang grenades, but evidence to the contrary litters Twitter and YouTube.
It’s one of those events where the truth is hard to glean, lost in a sea of tweets and media coverage, but the police claim that they launched their assault on protesters in defense, after protesters began throwing bottles, rocks, paint, and other debris.
Regardless of initial provocation, police were brutal and indiscriminate in their assault. Even children and the physically handicapped were not spared. In one case, police fired flashbangs on a small group of protesters attempting to aid another protester who was lying on the ground injured. Some peaceful protesters claim they were beaten with clubs, others that they were shot in the face with rubber bullets. The OPD initially denied the use of rubber bullets, only recently admitting to the use of “non-lethal rounds” (now that there is evidence of it all over the Internet).
This all started yesterday morning, when police launched tear gas to get the Occupy Oakland movement to disperse from Frank Ogawa Plaza. The Oakland Police Department claim in a press release that they “used a limited amount of tear gas for a small area as a defense against protesters who were throwing various objects at Police Officers as they approached the area,” including “glass bottles, rocks, pots, pans, kitchen utensils and plates.” Police also claim that protesters sprayed them with a fire extinguisher. Police cite “health and safety concerns and continued violations of the law” as the reason for enforcing this dispersal, including “numerous reports of fighting, assault and threatening/intimidating behavior.” The OPD also claims that “Medical responders were denied access on at least two occasions to provide medical care.” and that “the Oakland Fire Department and Police Department were denied access to the Plaza to respond to calls for service. Additionally, the police cite worsening sanitation conditions and rampant graffiti, litter and vandalism. They claim that once the Plaza is cleaned and deemed safe “it will be available for peaceful daytime assembly between the hours of 6 AM and 10 PM, but no camping or overnight stays will be permitted. The City’s goal is to clean up the Plaza to facilitate free assembly.” So what’s the best way to get people assembling to clear out to facilitate free assembly? Firing tear gas at them, of course. Police say they arrested 85 people at Ogawa Plaza and nearby Snow Park.
Many protesters dispute the OPD’s claim that the tear gas was used in self-defense. They say that protesters began throwing things at police only after they were attacked with tear gas. If the police were truthful about being provoked into their initial use of tear gas, they have since destroyed their credibility by lying about the use of rubber bullets and flashbang grenades.
Occupy Oakland protesters regrouped at the Oakland Public Library around 5 PM, marching to Glenn E. Dyer Detention Facility on 7th Street shortly after 6 PM where Oakland North reports, “they were met by dozens of police in riot gear who ordered them to disperse and fired tear gas.” The march proceeded to Frank Ogawa Plaza, where police were waiting. At this point police announced that the protesters had assembled illegally over a megaphone, warning that arrests would be made. Protesters then marched down Broadway toward Telegraph Ave., according to Oakland North. The march was quiet at around 7 PM; the calm before the storm.
Protesters congregated at Snow Park where “they spoke over the megaphone, with some wanting to keep marching and others suggesting that camp should be set up at the park,” reports Oakland North. The crowd decided to march back to the plaza, chanting “These are our streets!” and “Whose streets? Our streets!”
At around 7:15 protesters returned to Broadway and 14th street, met by a police barricade. At this time police once again announced over a megaphone that the protesters must leave or they would be arrested. They warned that chemical agents would be used. The streets were filled with clouds of smoke as the police fired several rounds of tear gas. Groups of protesters ran away gasping for breath, as loud bangs could be heard and flashes seen, seemingly contradicting the OPD’s claim that flashbang grenades weren’t used. Several protesters threw trashcans in the middle of the street, with one starting a fire in a trashcan.(Again, according to Oakland North.)
Protesters reassembled at 19th and Broadway, and began marching toward the plaza again at around 8:30. By 9:00 a crowd, which media outlets have estimated at 500 but which Occupy Oakland claims was about three times that, had gathered at 14th and Broadway, chanting “We are the 99%” and “Where’s Mayor Quan?”
The standoff between protesters and police continued well into the morning, with protesters throwing bottles and other debris while police repeatedly sprayed the crowd with tear gas, rubber bullets, and occasionally flashbang grenades.
Iraqi veteran and Veterans for Peace member Scott Olsen was injured after being shot in the face with a projectile gas canister. When worried protesters asked him his name, he was too dazed to respond. He has suffered a skull fracture, according to a doctor at Highland Hospital. He is currently in critical condition.
In another video, a small group attempt to come to the aid of an injured protester lying on the ground, only to be met by what appear to be flash grenades thrown by police.
According to Oakland North, a small but peaceful crowd remained in the plaza this morning. Occupy Oakland announced another gathering is set for today, tweeting: TODAY 6PM 14th & BROADWAY #RetakeThePlaza #StandWithOakland #OccupyOakland. The tense scene from last night and this morning could easily spill over into this evening.
Erik Oster
Erik Oster is an Assistant Editor at The Faster Times and a writer, editor and musician from Fairfield County, Connecticut. After graduating Goucher College in 2008 with a degree in creative writing, he was co-founder and Editor-in Chief of a literary magazine called ...
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