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OAKLAND — City officials addressed the ongoing protests in honor of George Floyd, continuing to distinguish between the thousands who peacefully marched Monday afternoon from a group arrested after refusing to disperse just before Monday’s curfew began.
At a press conference, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf made certain to praise the youth-led demonstration that drew as many as 15,000 people to Oakland Tech’s campus before marching south along Broadway to Frank Ogawa Plaza.
But Schaaf said “disturbances there were threats to officer safety” from a later gathering at the intersection of 8th and Broadway, just a block from police headquarters, as reason for “the use of non lethal munitions as well as tear gas.”
She added that anyone who felt mistreated by police or other agencies could file a complaint with the city’s citizen police review agency by calling 510-238-3159 or downloading and using the city of Oakland cellphone app.
“We continue to be committed to create safe spaces for people to express their righteous grief and anger over the events in this country, and over the conditions in our society,” she said.
“We also are absolutely committed to public safety, and we are doing what we can to prevent and hold accountable, people who would do damage, who would commit violent acts, who would commit vandalism, or theft in our beloved city.”
Oakland police assistant chief LeRonne Armstrong said his daughter was among the 4,000 youth who joined in Monday’s march to the plaza, but said the larger crowd dwindled to about a thousand, some of whom began throwing rocks and bottles at officers posted in a line at 8th and Broadway.
After declaring the crowd an unlawful gathering, Armstrong said officers saw people preparing Molotov cocktails to throw, and told those present to leave by bullhorn and from a helicopter overhead.
“We made sure that there were no elderly or children that were participating in that particular group that was important because we want to distinguish that this was not the same group that was at Frank Ogawa Plaza participated in the very peaceful march, this was an entirely different group,” Armstrong said.
Around 7:45 p.m., police deployed tear gas, scattering several hundred people north toward downtown, and police began to make more announcements about the curfew in effect at 8 p.m.
“Those that were there continued to not comply with those orders, and we continued to give those orders and allow people to leave,” said Armstrong, who added that officers arrested about 60 people, citing and releasing them from the scene. “Officers also found a gun, as well as other things hidden in the bushes. Some people there were armed with weapons. We also recovered rocks, bottles and boards,” Armstrong said. “With remaining crowds gone from downtown, officers then shifted to help officers on patrol for looting activity.”
After giving multiple orders to disperse,our officers detained more than 40 people for violating curfew. Reminder the curfew expires at 5 AM. Please stay home. pic.twitter.com/dLhDnfyLCi
— Oakland Police Dept. (@oaklandpoliceca) June 2, 2020
Oakland interim police chief Susan Manheimer also spoke, separating those she said were “meaningful hurt, hurt individuals who want to express their grief, their anger, their frustrations and tensions […] for what happened in Minneapolis, that was unacceptable” from those she called “agitators” and “an organized movement that would seek to harm and damage, disrupt, loot and vandalize our community.”
“They’ve been attacking our officers and our police building, and we’re very appreciative that the city has given us the tool of the curfew simply, really to interdict and abate that violence,” Manheimer said. “We believe that those are sort of an organized element that moves around and really co-opts meaningful peaceful demonstrations for those acts of violence, and that’s really the areas and the folks that we’re targeting. I can tell you, there were no juveniles in that group yesterday.”
She added that investigators were “collecting that race and demographic data, because we do believe that they are outsiders who would endanger our businesses in our community.”
In a statement Tuesday morning, youth march organizers expressed gratitude for the gathering, as well as unhappiness with the curfew’s announcement “after thousands had already gathered at Oakland Tech for peaceful protest.”
“The crowd, which had already commenced their nonviolent action, was now declared criminal by the system it was attempting to resist, simply for marching peacefully down the street,” said the East Bay DSA and members of the Sunrise Movement Bay Area Hub supporting student organizers. “Shortly after 8 p.m., mass arrests of the young peaceful protesters attempting to go home began as [n]eighbors and bystanders demanded the police ‘let them go’ from their homes.”
On Tuesday night, march organizer Xavier Brown expressed surprise at the use of force, saying it was “not fair to begin tear-gassing everyone right away.” He said he managed to catch a ride shortly before 8 p.m. Monday, and knew that a large group of young people followed a sound truck from the plaza back to the Oakland Tech campus.
“Lots of people marched back with it, and without a doubt they did not get to Tech until after 8 p.m.,” Brown said. “I know people were still chanting and some were just trying to get out of there as quick as they could.” Brown said he and fellow march organizer Akil Riley “both wanted to stay, even though there was a curfew, we wanted to stay until 8 p.m.. Akil told me ‘what are they going to do to peaceful protesters? Are they going to tear-gas us?’”
On social media, Oakland city council members also weighed in, with Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan slamming the decision to use munitions and tear gas, and Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney saying that the council was considering a ban on the police use of munitions — including tear gas and flash bangs — and was seeking guidance from the city attorney’s office.
It is unacceptable to use tear gas against peaceful youth demonstrators – and we've received complaints that this was also done before the curfew. I've reached out to Oakland Admin to follow up. The police supposed to be to stop robberies, not to stop peaceful speech. https://t.co/P5RmHDf5rX
— Rebecca Kaplan, Oakland Council President (@Kaplan4Oakland) June 2, 2020
Without knowing your email, I cannot verify whether we’ve received any correspondence. Send today LMcElhaney@Oaklandca.gov. Council considering ban regarding use of munitions, seeking guidance from City Atty.
— L.Gibson McElhaney (@LynetteGM) June 3, 2020
Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.