Police Turn Oakland Into War Zone

[Donnachaidh]

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/10/26-1

Incredible footage emerged from downtown Oakland last night - not of basic law enforcement efforts to maintain public "health and safety" as the police have been claiming - but of a war zone in which police shot tear gas, bean bags, wooden dowels, flash grenades, and rubber bullets at protesters.

Rather than using the weaponry once in a final effort to subdue the crowd, officers reportedly used them over and over again in what @OccupyOakland describes as a "relentless" assault on the thousands of activists gathered near City Hall.

"The city remains committed to respecting free speech as well as maintaining the city's responsibility to protect public health and safety," Oakland police said in a statement Tuesday.

The "safety" concerns are the usual complaints levelled at the Occupy movements: sanitation issues, improper food storage, graffiti, litter, and vandalism, although OPD added accusations of fighting, assaults, and "threatening/intimidating behavior." Yes, you read that correctly. OPD is accusing the protesters of using "threatening/intimidating behavior."

More at the link --

[CountAllVotes]

1. Oakland has been a "war zone" for a very long time

Take it from a former inhabitant of the East Bay! :(

[WingDinger]

3. This is no joke. and will be getting less funny from here out..

Fox is calling Bloomberg a wimp for not doing likewise. Calling him out. The GOP/FOX wants bloodshed. Like Kent State. They feel possibly not wrongly, that a few dead kids, and we'll all go home and pull the covers up.

[CountAllVotes]

5. Huey Newton didn't go home and pull the covers up

He went on and on and on until the end of his life.

Oakland has quite the history of this sort of thing.

[mulsh]

9. Huey was pretty crazy after he came back from Algeria.

Flashing his gun & his body guards at Eli's & scaring the crowd shortly after his return. 24/7 unmarked local and federal agent's cars parked in front of his house up on Contra Costa Road. Constant wire taps. His crack use. The way he was gunned down in West Oakland over one of those crack deals. Just a few examples of the later part of his life. Very sad but he really isn't a very good example.

[CountAllVotes]

10. During the Black Panther days

My late uncle saw him running by his house not far from the headquarters on Market Street along with a few others; all were armed. It was scary as all hell, I remember that much as this was long before the days of crack cocaine. :scared:

[FarCenter]

2. There is a tradition to uphold

POLICE BATTLE STEVEDORE MOB, ARREST MANY

http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist/thursday.html


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1934_West_Coast_waterfront_strike

[Starry Messenger]

4. k&r

[Bake]

6. The police "claim" the protesters were throwing rocks at them

I don't believe that shit for one second!

The cops were just doing what cops ALWAYS do.

Bake

[Aryo]

7. Throwing rocks like these guys?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S1nHvvkzvA

[Bake]

8. EXACTLY!

OWS has been peaceful from the outset. I ain't buying the cops' b.s.

Bake

[Arctic Dave]

15. I read on here earlier the police said the protestors shot choking gas first.

LOL. Right.

[Bake]

16. Oh yeah. I believe that.

About as far as I can throw it.

Bake

[Arctic Dave]

17. Yeah, next they will say the protestors were dressed in black riot gear

and started beating the helpless, peaceful police distributing flowers. LOL

[WingDinger]

11. Fox new said cracking skulls. On air. When discussing Bloomberg

Being a wimp. They want bloodshed. They will push till then.

[redqueen]

13. They'll be sorry if they get it.

They will only get even bigger crowds, and even more attention worldwide.

[DeSwiss]

12. Well.....

...freedom of speech, the right of assembly and the right to petition the government is still a good concept in theory.

- It's too bad the http://www.oaklandnet.com/contactmayor.asp">Mayor of Oakland doesn't believe in democracy......

K&R

[TBF]

14. Recommend. nt

[woo me with science]

18. K&R nt

[mogster]

19. Brutal, its a replay from 2003:

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0407-06.htm

[OneGrassRoot]

20. Perhaps stupid question: Do police officers belong to a labor union....

in certain states, specifically Cali in this case?

I tried to Google and tons of quasi-official looking organizations called "unions" for officers popped up.

The law enforcement unions need to speak out strongly against the brutality we're seeing, not to mention the general crackdown on peaceful protestors.