I don’t know what we’d do without Facebook. On Friday our friend (who just happens to be an officer on the Oakland Police Department) posted a flyer about this protest event called “March Against Repression: Fuck OPD” and said “Here we go again.”
We also subscribe to Oakland’s police email alerts, which would usually warn citizens and local businesses about upcoming protests and marches, but nothing came. Interesting. Anyway, not wanting to miss something so blatantly anti-police, Joe, Geoff, and I met up at Frank Ogawa Plaza to see how it would unfold.
At first we were somewhat disappointed. The turnout was quite small, especially compared to the port march a few weeks ago and to the former Occupy camp, which both had thousands of people. This group was a few hundred at most. Nevertheless, they were chanting and taunting the officers who were posted up on the three corners facing the plaza.
The group was yelling to the police about how useless they were and that they should just go eat donuts and that they were going to make work hard for them tonight, but the police just watched and waited.
After that went on for a while, this guy lit a gasoline-soaked flag on fire in the middle of 14th Street.
The police didn’t like that at all, so one officer walked over to stomp it out. The protesters didn’t like the officer doing that, so some of them rushed out to defend the burning flag and continue chanting and taunting from there.
Then the march started. The protesters gathered behind the banner and headed down Broadway toward the police station.
…With occasional stops to write on newspaper machines.
Many of the protesters wore masks, though I’m not sure if it was to hide from the police or from us. I hope they didn’t think bananas would protect them from tear gas.
The march stopped at 8th Street, a block before the police station. Because of the line of officers in front of the station, they turned right and went over to Washington.
Police cars were following the march, so one protester threw dumpsters and a shopping cart into the street to try to stall the police.
Police cars were blocking Broadway at 7th Street, presumably to keep random people from inadvertently driving through a potentially dangerous area.
The police had their riot gear on, and the commanding officer gave them last-minute orders and a recap of their strategy.
The march came back to Broadway up 7th Street, and the protesters continued their chants and taunts as the police watched patiently. Someone threw a bottle but no one was hurt and nothing came of it.
After just a few minutes the march headed back up Broadway toward the plaza, right on 11th, right on Webster, and right on 9th back to Broadway, where they blocked the intersection for some time. The police followed them the whole time, both on foot and in cars.
The protesters then marched on 9th Street and turned left on Washington again which was blocked by a line of police at 7th Street so they couldn’t get to the police station.
The march crossed 8th Street and stopped, facing off against the police at the other end of the block.
One of the protesters lit a cardboard box on fire in the middle of Washington.
The owner of the Grand Oaks Sports Bar was not happy to see the protesters, the police, or me. He yelled at the protesters to go home and stop hurting his business and that even though he was a business owner, he was not the 1%.
The police moved their line halfway up the block and some of the protesters were starting to scatter. The leaders were yelling to them to stand their ground.
The line moved right up to the fire and one officer poked it with his stick. A protester ran up to it and stomped on it, making sparks, and the officer shoved him back. At this point a few more bottles were thrown.
The police charged the protesters, who turned around and fled up Washington.
At 9th Street a few people were tackled and ziptied. This woman was singled out as one of the bottle throwers. Groups of protesters rushed to wherever someone was being arrested and harassed the police.
The chase continued up Washington and past the Pacific Coast Brewing Co., where Geoff and Joe had stopped for a beer and missed the initial action.
More arrests were made right outside the bar.
Meanwhile, I got corralled onto 9th Street as part of the police line broke off to block 9th from Washington.
At the Broadway end of that block, 9th was blocked by another police line, trapping everyone who was there. I tried to stand in the doorway of the Liege Spirits Lounge so I wouldn’t be in the way in anything happened but the bouncer pushed me away.
The Washington line moved halfway up the block as the protesters were yelling at them about unlawful detainment and other breaches of civil rights. An Iraq veteran expressed his disgust at the way they were being treated after he had served his country. I wonder how many war veterans on the police force that resonated with.
Finally after about 20 minutes the Broadway line opened up and everyone got out. I met up with Joe around the corner on Broadway and I was happy to be free! The police line formed again across Broadway and moved up toward the plaza, dispersing whatever protesters were still in the area. We saw our police friend in the line and he saw me and yelled, “Hey Bohan! You’re crazy for being out here!” It’s kind of weird to talk to the police while they’re in riot gear and doing something that serious. It’s like breaking the 4th wall.
We made it back to the plaza and the protest was all but done, so we wandered off to have a beer and celebrate the end of another adventure.
.:Bohan
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