Oakland: Peaceful May Day protests give way to evening mayhem

[alp227]

Source: Oakland Tribune

OAKLAND -- After a day of peaceful May Day protests, with hundreds of people gathering at rallies across the Bay Area, a Friday evening march in Oakland saw multiple demonstrators smashing multiple vehicles and setting at least one car on fire at dealerships on Oakland's Auto Row.

There were no immediate reports of arrests or injuries after the spree of vandalism, which took place around 9 p.m. Hundreds of people had held a peaceful rally at Oakland's Frank H. Ogawa Plaza earlier in the evening, then took to the streets, with several people smashing windows on parked cars and spray-painting buildings before the Auto Row incidents.Though historically May Day causes have been many, this year's protest focused on the issue of the day, police brutality. As the Bay Area this week kept a watchful eye on Baltimore, where a top prosecutor filed charges against officers for the killing of an unarmed black man, Friday was a day for local residents to tell their stories of abuse at the hands of police.

Families of men killed locally by police -- from Oscar Grant to Richmond's Richard "Pedie" Perez III -- warned the protests would continue until the police violence stops. Those families and members of the International Longshore Warehouse Union Local 10 led a march Friday morning from the Port of Oakland to Frank H. Ogawa Plaza at City Hall. By noon, about 500 demonstrators had gathered there, in a loud yet peaceful protest.

"These kinds of actions will continue to occur until we see a change," said Wanda Johnson, the mother of Grant, who was shot and killed by a BART police officer in 2009.

Read more: http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_28027677/oakland-ac-transit-buses-detoured-around-macarthur-bart

[okaawhatever]

2. Sounds like some of the evening protesters were from the same group of Anarchists that were

rioting, burning and looting in Seattle. M.O. is the same. What a bunch of d-bags & thugs.

[alp227]

3. Chip Johnson summarized the history of the Black Bloc in Oakland

We first saw them here — the so-called black bloc — during the Iraq War protests of 2003. A splinter group dressed in black — covering their faces — would break off from the mostly peaceful demonstrators and begin destroying property — lighting fires, spray-painting graffiti, breaking windows. We saw the same violent actions from splinter groups during the Oscar Grant protests in Oakland — and then the Occupy Oakland protests in 2011. The tactics divided the Occupy Oaklanders, many of whom objected to the destruction of property.

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/johnson/article/Violent-protesters-don-t-care-about-Michael-5943710.php

[okaawhatever]

4. Thanks. I recalled reading about them in the past but couldn't remember their name or the

circumstances. Thanks again for the info.

[whereisjustice]

5. I'm told HRC and her third way corporate based solutions, like sending another million jobs to Asia,

will solve the problems of poverty and disparity and injustice here in the US.

And I'm told by some other people that burning more oil will solve the problem of global warming.

I can see how a Republican might think these things make perfect sense.

But a Democrat?

How can anyone fall for that TPP shit?????

[mimi85]

7. I understand your frustration, however

this veers way off the message of the OP.

[whereisjustice]

10. Why? Is it in bad form to discuss the seeds of discontent? Lack of jobs, prison culture and

a prevailing moral hazard the puts the rich outside the hands of justice certainly might be inconvenient but the truth.

We have upcoming choices to make which can change this. Hillary is one choice who will NOT change this.

Or is the only acceptable response - "oh, my. Those bad people"?

Right, that's what I thought.

[mimi85]

11. I don't think I said anything about "those bad people"

You thought wrong. Of course it's fine to discuss those things, I just didn't think it fit with the OP's message. Sorry - different strokes. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

[Beauregard]

6. I wonder how much of the violence is the work of agents provocateurs.

Not all, but I'll bet at least some.

[romanic]

8. Fucking Black Bloc probably.

Losers wanting to play "anarchy for a day" or night in this case.

[NaturalHigh]

9. I'll bet a dollar you're right.

They've probably listened to a few Sex Pistols songs and decided that anarchy is cool.