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| 7/9 |
| 2009/1/8-12 [Reference/BayArea] UID:52343 Activity:moderate |
1/8 "Protests over BART shooting turn violent"
http://www.csua.org/u/n80 (http://www.sfgate.com
"Yet the demonstrators were often indiscriminate, frequently targeting
the businesses and prized possessions of people of color."
"The mob smashed the windows at Creative African Braids on 14th
Street, and a woman walked out of the shop holding a baby in her arms."
\_ It's the same idiots who set fire to the city when the Raiders
win big: out of town troublemakers.
\_ Apparently from SF: "I feel like the night is going great," said
Nia Sykes, 24, of San Francisco, one of the demonstrators.
\- The person who had her Toyota Corilla smashed is a former
aquaitance of mine. Ironically, she's one of those pro-agitation,
make some noise, fight the power types.
\_ I don't know the person you speak of, but you can be a
"make some noise" type without supporting vandalism.
\- trust me on this: knowing this person, her getting
her getting her car bashed up at an oakland street
riot is ironic.
\_ At least 37 of those arrested were found to be from Oakland.
Five were from Berkeley, and another five were from San Francisco.
Others came from cities all over the map: Fremont, Kensington,
Pinole, Hayward, San Leandro, Fairfax, Santa Cruz and even as
far away as Santa Clarita in Southern California. One man told
police he was from Indianapolis, officials said.
Five were from Berkeley, and another five were from San
Francisco. Others came from cities all over the map: Fremont,
Kensington, Pinole, Hayward, San Leandro, Fairfax, Santa Cruz
and even as far away as Santa Clarita in Southern California.
One man told police he was from Indianapolis, officials said.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_11405848
\_ 37+ out of 120 arrests breaks down to 1 in 4 being from
Oakland. I stand by my earlier statement about out of town
hooliganism.
\_ Indiana Anarchists.
I hate Indiana Anarchists. |
| 7/9 |
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| www.csua.org/u/n80 -> www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/07/MN2N155CN1.DTL Comments Georgia (default) Verdana Times New Roman Arial Font | Size: (01-08) 09:17 PST Oakland -- A protest over the fatal shooting by a BART police officer of an unarmed black man mushroomed into several hours of violence Wednesday night as demonstrators smashed storefronts and cars, set several cars ablaze and blocked streets in downtown Oakland. Disclaimer About This Poll SF Gate polls are strictly surveys of those who choose to participate and are therefore not valid statistical samples. Our poll software uses a variety of methods to ensure that only votes determined to be valid are tabulated. When this determination cannot be made, we may not process your vote. No actions are taken by SF Gate as a result of the polls. Yet the demonstrators were often indiscriminate, frequently targeting the businesses and prized possessions of people of color. They smashed a hair salon, a pharmacy and several restaurants. Police in riot gear tried to control the crowd, but some people retreated along 14th Street and bashed cars along the way. The mob smashed the windows at Creative African Braids on 14th Street, and a woman walked out of the shop holding a baby in her arms. "This is our business," shouted Leemu Topka, the black owner of the salon she started four years ago. Wednesday night's vandalism victims had nothing to do with the shooting death by a BART police officer of Oscar Grant on New Year's Day - but that did little to sway the mob. "I feel like the night is going great," said Nia Sykes, 24, of San Francisco, one of the demonstrators. Sykes, who is black, had little sympathy for the owner of Creative African Braids. "She should be glad she just lost her business and not her life," Sykes said. She added that she did have one worry for the night: "I just hope nobody gets shot or killed." The protest had started calmly shortly after 3 pm at the Fruitvale Station in Oakland, where BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle shot 22-year-old Grant of Hayward a week ago. BART shut down the station well into the evening commute, although the demonstration there was peaceful. However, shortly after nightfall, a group of roughly 200 protesters split off and headed toward downtown Oakland, prompting the transit agency to close the Lake Merritt and 12th Street stations. The group wreaked havoc through much of downtown, drawing hundreds of police in riot gear. It wasn't until roughly 10:40 pm that police clamped down on the mob, arresting dozens who were cornered near the Paramount Theatre, and bringing an end to the mayhem. Earlier in the evening, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums met the mob on 14th Street, urging calm and leading them on a walk to City Hall, where he gave a speech. "I understand that you've lost confidence in a process because you've seen what you believe is a homicide ... Dellums told protesters that he had asked the Oakland Police Department to investigate the shooting. "I have asked Oakland police to engage in a fair, parallel investigation, the way you'd investigate any homicide in Oakland," he said. "If that leads to an arrest, that's what it would lead to." "I'm asking people to disperse," the mayor said to the couple hundred people in the crowd. But soon after, a man shouted "that's the modern day lynching" and the mob quickly continued its rampage, smashing at least seven storefronts on 17th street between Franklin and Webster streets. They also smashed eight cars, including four belonging to the City of Oakland. Near 14th and Alice streets, Myron Bell was taking dance lessons in "step," a form of dance popular among African Americans, when he looked out the window and saw people jumping on his Lexus sedan. Bell, 42, came out to find that almost all of the car's windows, including the front and back had been smashed and it appeared that someone had tried to set the car on fire. Nearby, Godhuli Bose stood near her smashed Toyota Corolla as a man walked by, repeatedly called her a misogynist slur and then added, "F- your car." Bose, a high school teacher, said: "I can't afford this." Earlier in the evening, when the mob first appeared downtown, Oakland Police Officer Michael Cardoza parked his car across the intersection of Eighth and Madison streets, to prevent traffic from flowing toward Broadway and into the protest. But he told The Chronicle that a group of 30 to 40 protesters quickly surrounded his car and started smashing it with bottles and rocks. Cardoza jumped out of the car and said some protesters tried to set the car on fire, while others jumped on top of the hood - incidents repeatedly shown on television. Cardoza said the protesters "were trying to entice us into doing something." A Chronicle reporter saw a fist-sized rock in the back seat. A group of protesters also set a trash bin aflame, moving it adjacent to the police car. Police threw tear gas into the group to disperse it, said BART Sgt. "When you get that mob mentality, it can be dangerous," MacAulay said. Other protesters marched on BART's 12th Street Station about 7 pm, prompting the transit agency to close the downtown hub station even as it was reopening the Lake Merritt and Fruitvale stations. The mob blocked the intersection of 14th and Broadway, near the downtown BART station entrance. As police put on helmets and gas masks and stood in a line formation, some demonstrators held signs that read, "Your idea of justice?" One man lay in the intersection with his face down and his hands behind his back - intentionally evoking the position that Grant was in when he was shot. Some in the mob wore masks over their faces as they yelled at police. Roughly a dozen stood just a few feet away from police as they screamed at them. Chants included "pigs go home," "the fascist police, no justice, no peace" and "we are all Oscar Grant." Mandingo Hayes, who is black, said he participated in the protest because "we're tired of all these police agencies getting away with shooting unarmed black and Latino males." "For a police car to get abused, and for a person to get shot and killed, which would you rather be?" As the night wore on, Hayes tried calming people down, asking for peace. The core group of the mob appeared to be about 40 people, several of whom were with Revolution Books, a Berkeley bookstore. A man distributed the "Revolution" newspaper - whose tagline is "voice of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA" - as he shouted "This whole damn system is guilty!" Soo Jung Sung, an Asian American, didn't understand why she was to blame. She wept as she looked at the shattered front windshield of her Nissan Montero. "Emotionally, I totally understand them," she said of the upset over Grant's shooting. Developer hopes to bait big fish with Bentley If you build it, they will come. If you want them to buy it, throw in a free $200,000 Bentley. At least that's what an Arizona homebuilder is hoping as it tries to unload a pair of... State unemployment claim systems overwhelmed Electronic unemployment filing systems have crashed in at least three states in recent days amid an unprecedented crush of thousands of newly jobless Americans seeking benefits,... Hearst Newspapers Be the first to share your thoughts on this story. Protests over BART shooting turn violent MN A protest over the fatal shooting by a BART police officer of an unarmed black man mushroomed into several hours of violence Wednesday night as demonstrators smashed storefronts and cars, set several cars ablaze and... |
| www.insidebayarea.com/ci_11405848 A car burns as police push a group of protesters down Fourteenth Street on Wednesday, January 7, 2009, in Oakland, Calif. Demonstrators from a protest against the fatal BART police shooting of Oscar Grant III took to Oakland streets Wednesday night blocking traffic, setting fires and damaging property. Scores of police, including BART police, Oakland Police Department and officers from the Housing Authority responded. Man dies in BART officer-involved shooting OAKLAND -- As family and friends of Oscar Grant III pleaded for peace Thursday afternoon, broken glass still was being cleaned up from the previous night's near-riot in downtown, burned cars were towed away, and some business owners -- fearing a repeat of the violence -- made plans for nightfall, closing early and sending employees home. "I am begging the citizens to not use violent tactics anymore," said Grant's mother, an emotional Wanda Johnson, who appeared with about 30 of Grant's relatives and friends at a news conference called by attorney John Burris at his East Oakland office. Post your video and photos against BART in the officer-involved shooting of an unarmed Grant, 22, in the early hours of New Year's Day after a scuffle at the Fruitvale BART station. BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle, who fired the fatal shot, has resigned from the force. "I know it's a very frustrating time," Johnson said, referring to the protracted police investigation into the shooting. "But Oscar would not want to see the violence and the fires. We believe this situation is going to come to a close and justice will be served. I'm asking you please, please stop it and let justice prevail. Mayor Ron Dellums and other city leaders urged the public to remain peaceful and said the Oakland Police Department will investigate the shooting. Advertisement The department's role will to be to aide the Alameda County District Attorney's office, which previously had been working exclusively with BART police, in its investigation. "We will review what has been done and we will develop our own witnesses as well," said Oakland police Chief Wayne Tucker. Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff said he expected a case to be "totally prepared" in about two weeks. I have to sit back and look at this as objectively as I can with all the facts that are available and make the decision -- not only whether or not he should be charged, but what offense he should he charged with ... The rioting, which police estimate caused at least $150,000 in damage, broke out late Wednesday after an originally peaceful protest about Grant's killing moved from the Fruitvale BART station to the downtown area. com/insidebayarea cars, leaving them caved in like crushed eggshells. After using tear gas and corralling rioters on Broadway near 22nd Street about 11 pm, Oakland police made about 120 arrests for rioting, assault on a police officer, looting, arson, vandalism and other offenses. Some of those detained were found to have drugs and guns, which added to the charges, police said. A 28-year-old Oakland man was arrested for rioting and carrying two semi-automatic guns in his pants pockets. Late Thursday, police were still processing arrest reports. At least 37 of those arrested were found to be from Oakland. Five were from Berkeley, and another five were from San Francisco. Others came from cities all over the map: Fremont, Kensington, Pinole, Hayward, San Leandro, Fairfax, Santa Cruz and even as far away as Santa Clarita in Southern California. One man told police he was from Indianapolis, officials said. The ages of those arrested ranged from late teens to mid-30s, police said. Fearing a repeat performance, some businesses shut down early Thursday. Clorox closed its offices on Broadway at 13th Street and sent workers home at 2 pm, spokesman Dan Staublin said. "It was a precautionary step, given what happened Wednesday night," he said. Online warnings flew back and forth on blog sites between people who work or live downtown, cautioning one another to stay inside or lock their doors. Gregory Hunter, Oakland's director of redevelopment and economic development, said that more than 300 business were hit by the rioting. Oakland officials are urging those businesses to work with their insurance companies, Hunter said, but the city will also offer "financial assistance so the burden they are having to face now for repairing windows and even some merchandise that was damaged ... During the day, as a standing-room-only crowd spoke out about the shooting at a BART board meeting a few blocks away, more than two dozen downtown merchants -- mostly small-business owners already hit hard by the economy -- spent hours sweeping glass off sidewalks and store floors, pounding plywood over smashed-out windows, taping large cracks in plate glass doors with clear packing tape, calling glaziers and insurance companies, and shaking their heads in disbelief that people would destroy the property of innocent residents and business owners, all in the name of justice. "People already don't want to move to Oakland or bring businesses here. And here we are in 2009, starting off with change with a new president, and then we have people acting like this," said a tearful Rev. ElTyna McCree who owns Underground Treasures on 17th Street near Franklin. "This is really hard, because I love Oakland so much, and I have been a business owner in downtown for 30 years," she said. McCree's store was untouched, but neighboring businesses were not so lucky. Much of the destruction was concentrated on 17th between Franklin and Harrison streets, where nearly every other business had been hit. Random stores also were attacked along Franklin, on 14th Street and on Telegraph Avenue. Even the recently restored Fox Theater had windows broken and damage to some of the carefully restored historic woodwork and terra cotta. Phil Tagami of CCG, the development company restoring the Fox, estimated the damage at $10,000 to $20,000. "Stuff like this happens all the time in San Francisco with all the protests there," he said. "In Oakland, with our growing urban (center), we will have to learn to live with it. Broken glass can be replaced, the damage to the building can be repaired, and it's good we still have crews working here so they can take care of it." None of his other buildings, including the Rotunda, were damaged, although storefront windows at the Uptown nightclub and the Fox construction office next door were smashed. Windows were broken at Flora restaurant, which was filled with customers. At Creative African Braids on 14th Street near Webster, store owner Leemu Tokpa feared for her life and that of her 8-month-old baby. "I was in here, working on a client," she said Thursday morning through the broken-out windows of her store's front door. "My client had just walked out the door, and I saw a group of black guys across the street. They came running over and started throwing bottles at my windows. They were cussing, using the F-word, trying to force the door open. Nobody feels happy about the guy getting killed at BART, but if they come back to attack me as a black sister, I feel very disappointed, since I'm struggling, too. Tokpa's brother spent the night in the store for fear of more vandalism, she said. Most felt sure the damage was not done by protesters but by splinter groups who just wanted to cause trouble. Elisher Muhammad was unlocking her broken glass door Thursday at Change Hair Studio. She had just moved to 17th Street from Telegraph about a month ago. "I even went to a protest to speak on his behalf at the courthouse a few days ago. "Even with Oscar's family, his parents, his mom -- they're for peace. It's just people who have their own issues and own rage, and they look for an opportunity to disperse that." "What do you get out of destroying someone else's property? She hugged Mimi Le of Mimi's Fashions and alterations, who has been in business there for 10 years and was outside sweeping glass. Editor's Note: The following is Thursday's updated coverage of fallout from the New Year's Day shooting of Oscar Grant III by a BART police officer. Following six hours... |
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