Occupy Oakland: 300 Protesters Arrested
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AP Photo/The Tribune, Bay Area News Group, Jane Tyska
Oakland police arrested about 300 Occupy Oakland protesters Saturday, after demonstrators broke into a vacant convention center, a YMCA and City Hall, where they burned an American flag.
Police fired tear gas, flash grenades and bean bags in an attempt to control the crowd after some protesters threw rocks, flares, bottles, and other objects at police officers.
Police arrested about 20 people for throwing objects.
“I did see some rocks – I saw some projectiles, I didn’t see who got hit or how many people,” said Oakland police officer Anthony Rachael.
Later in the day, police rounded up several others for failing to disperse.
Kristin Hanes of ABC News San Francisco station KGO was one of several reporters briefly arrested.
“We were all walking down the same street and they kind of – they came at us from both sides, issued us a dispersal notice but there wasn’t really, you know, anywhere to go,” said Hanes.
“They kind of herded us all into this little area, pushed up to this building and I heard a bullhorn saying that you are being arrested and we are essentially surrounded, kind of pushed together like sardines here,” Hanes added.
Hanes was eventually released and de-handcuffed.
Police say at least three officers were hurt at the protests.
Oakland mayor Jean Quan said people have to stop making excuses for violent behavior.
“Occupy Oakland has got to stop using Oakland as its playground,” said Quan at a press conference Saturday night.
“Once again, a violent splinter group of the Occupy movement is engaging in violent actions against Oakland,” Quan said.
Quan is not the only city leader who is fed up.
“It’s an escalation that in my opinion, basically amounts to domestic terrorism where people start taking buildings and costing the city an incredible amount of resources,” Oakland City Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente said.
Saturday was not the first time Occupy Oakland protests have turned violent.
In November, clashes broke out between demonstrators and police trying to evict them from a city plaza.During the protests, 24-year-old two-tour Iraq veteran Scott Olsen’s skull was fractured by a rubber bullet or tear gas canister.
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During the protests, 24-year-old two-tour Iraq veteran Scott Olsen’s skull was fractured by a rubber bullet or tear gas cannister.———————-No he wasn’t. Initial reports had him being hit in the head by a piece of lumber thrown by another protester that fell short of its mark hitting Olsen in the head. But the MSM has its own agenda in mind and not the truth.
Posted by: gene | January 29, 2012, 11:24 am 11:24 am
FUNNY!
These Democrat politicians absolutely LOVED these protesters a few months ago. Now that the protesters are showing their true colors they act like they don’t know them
They are only doing these things because you gave them a long leash in the beginning. Now they understand that as long as their is a Democrat in office they can get away with murder(wait for it)
Posted by: ufos8mycow | January 29, 2012, 11:59 am 11:59 am
Well Mayor Quan, Are you happy with your choice of supporting these hoodlums now? The OWS has been taken over by anarchists and communists bent on destroying capitalism at any cost.
Posted by: chatmandu002 | January 29, 2012, 12:46 pm 12:46 pm
This class warfare that the democrats are playing is very serious. These rioters just don’t understand that if you took all the rich peoples income away, it still would only pay a small amount of the gigantic bill Washington is running up for entitlements. Our country deserves better than this garbage and I hope the people wake up to the games being played by this anti-American, communist leaning bunch of thugs seeking to harm our society in order to benefit the democrats. I am not a republican and am poor but I see the truth of this sick game!
Posted by: rockychance | January 29, 2012, 3:01 pm 3:01 pm
Obama and the liberal democrats said that OWS was their version of the Tea Party! Yeah the democrats support these terrorist street thugs, but OWS is nothing at all like the Tea Party! When did the Tea Party ever trash city hall or get tear gassed by the police, NEVER!
Posted by: BIG JIMMY | January 29, 2012, 9:32 pm 9:32 pm
The people only went into the YMCA because the police surrounded them and they were running from the mean police. The police started the violence. And the flag was burned by some cops in regular clothing outside the courthouse. Occupy Oakland is peaceful. The police were all hitting folks with clubs as they walked by them. Many people got internal injuries.
Posted by: Georgia Hull | January 30, 2012, 1:09 am 1:09 am
It’s about time that the poor people of America (now nearly 2/3rds of the population) stand up and take back from the Republicans the wealth they created. Everything the greatest generation created is almost gone: the rich have it now. I’m really surprised someone hasn’t bombed the GOP national convention in recent years. I’m even more surprised there hasn’t been an armed uprising. Maybe next year.
Posted by: ariadne | January 30, 2012, 1:12 am 1:12 am
The OWS in Oakland are nothing more than a roving band of criminals, street thugs and drug addicts!
There was never anything peaceful about this movement in Oakland, right from the start they have been committing acts of terrorism and even committing murder at their old camp site last year! Most don’t even live in Oakland, they are out of town criminals and trouble makers!
Posted by: BIG JIMMY | January 30, 2012, 2:45 am 2:45 am
Bloody peasants! If I wasn’t one of them, I’d oppress them! But since I am, I’m having a blast rising up to overthrow our masters! Go Oakland!
Posted by: Ima Bonobo | January 30, 2012, 6:27 am 6:27 am
Georgia, IMA, keep telling yourself that the others OWE you, keep destroying what’s not yours, scream bloody murder when everyone else has enough of you, and if all fails tell them it’s your parents fault. Your really nice kids who just don’t like to be told NO.
Posted by: Lizzie | January 30, 2012, 11:41 am 11:41 am