More Fleabagger Violence

[Lord Jim]

Yes sir, nothing will win you more popular support than burning flags:

300 arrested, flag burned at Occupy Oakland

Originally published: January 28, 2012 10:14 PM
Updated: January 29, 2012 8:11 AM
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS



OAKLAND, Calif. - Dozens of police maintained a late-night guard around City Hall following daylong protests that resulted in 300 arrests. Occupy Oakland demonstrators broke into the historic building and burned a U.S. flag, as officers earlier fired tear gas to disperse people throwing rocks and tearing down fencing at a convention center.

Saturday's protests — the most turbulent since Oakland police forcefully dismantled an Occupy encampment in November — came just days after the group said it planned to use a vacant building as a social center and political hub and threatened to try to shut down the port, occupy the airport and take over City Hall.

An exasperated Mayor Jean Quan, who faced heavy criticism for the police action last fall, called on the Occupy movement to "stop using Oakland as its playground."[She has no one to blame for that but herself; the kids are always going to play at the house where the parents let them run wild.]

"People in the community and people in the Occupy movement have to stop making excuses for this behavior," Quan said.
[Geez, even this ninny is finally getting fed up]
Protesters clashed with police throughout the day, at times throwing rocks, bottles and other objects at officers. And police responded by deploying smoke, tear gas and bean bag rounds, City Administrator Deanna Santanta said.

Interim Police Chief Howard Jordan said about 300 arrests were made.

"These demonstrators stated their intention was to provoke officers and engage in illegal activity and that's exactly what has occurred today," Santana said.

The group assembled outside City Hall late Saturday morning and marched through the streets, disrupting traffic as they threatened to take over the vacant Henry Kaiser Convention Center.

The protesters walked to the vacant convention center, where some started tearing down perimeter fencing and "destroying construction equipment" shortly before 3 p.m., police said.

Police said they issued a dispersal order and used smoke and tear gas after some protesters pelted them with bottles, rocks, burning flares and other objects.

The number of demonstrators swelled as the day wore on, with afternoon estimates ranging from about 1,000 to 2,000 people.

A majority of the arrests came after police took scores of protesters into custody as they marched through the city's downtown, with some entering a YMCA building, said Sgt. Jeff Thomason, a police spokesman.

Quan said that at one point, many protesters forced their way into City Hall, where they burned flags, broke an electrical box and damaged several art structures, including a recycled art exhibit created by children.

She blamed the destruction on a small "very radical, violent" splinter group within Occupy Oakland.

"This is not a situation where we had a 1,000 peaceful people and a few violent people. If you look at what's happening today in terms of destructing property, throwing at and charging the police, it's almost like they are begging for attention and hoping that the police will make an error."

Dozens of officers surrounded City Hall, while others swept the inside of the building looking for protesters who had broken into the building, then ran out of the building with American flags before officers arrived.

The protest group issued an email criticizing police, saying "Occupy Oakland's building occupation, an act of constitutionally protected civil disobedience was disrupted by a brutal police response today."

Michael Davis, 32, who is originally from Ohio and was in the Occupy movement in Cincinnati, said Saturday was a very hectic day that originally started off calm but escalated when police began using "flash bangs, tear gas, smoke grenades and bean bags."

"What could've been handled differently is the way the Oakland police came at us," Davis said. "We were peaceful."

City leaders joined Quan in criticizing the protesters.

"City Hall is closed for the weekend. There is no excuse for behavior we've witnessed this evening," City Council President Larry Reid said during a news briefing Saturday.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/300- ... -1.3487271

[Joe Guy]

I don't understand the point. Are they really so stupid as to believe that something like this will get anyone to support their cause (other than people who like to riot)?

[dales]

Anarchists who have nothing better to do.

Oakland is a failed city, run into the ground by decades of incompetance.

Time for martial law to end this nonsense and some good old-fashioned ass-kicking.

Recall Mayor Quan, already.

Originally the OWS movement was a noble one (and I have no doubt that there are many who subscribe to the original foundations). I for one, still do in spite of these shit-for-brains running amok.

[Lord Jim]

Oakland is a failed city, run into the ground by decades of incompetance.

I got the impression that Jerry Brown did a half way decent job of trying to pull the place out of the toilet; public safety improved under him, and he did a pretty good job of attracting business to the city...

But prior to him, and certainly since, with first Dellums and now this idiot, its definitely been circling the drain...

When you have mayors who have an attitude towards law enforcement that borders on open loathing and contempt, it sends a signal and has an impact....punks, thugs, hell raisers and gang bangers of all varieties will gravitate to where they believe the authorities aren't serious about doing anything to stop them....

Oakland is not a huge city; with a population of about 500,000 it's only the third largest even in The Bay Area....

And yet I've noticed that at least half of the stories that make it in to the national news about violence associated with these Fleabagger events come not from New York, or LA, or Chicago or Detroit or even DC....

But good old Oak Town....

From what I've read, people lookin' to break bad come to the Oakland events from all over the West Coast... as far away as LA and Seattle....to act like Visigoths in Oakland, because the local authorities have gotten the reputation for being pushovers, and its considered easy to get away with the hell raising with no consequences....

And as I said, Quan has no one but herself to blame for this...

It does however make me feel bad for the many decent folks who live in the place....

[dales]

The "good folk" of Oakland only have themselves to blame.......they keep voting these nincompoops into office.

Time to grow a spine "good people" and take back your city.

[loCAtek]

I'm afraid it may be too late; the city has already embraced the 'Bad Boy' culture, as it's own;




Yup, that's a bullet hole.

[dales]

No worries, the Raiders (like the 49'ers) future is in the South Bay.

[dales]

Meanwhile back on topic (sort of)...

Oakland continues its long descent into the abyss...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... .DTL&tsp=1

Two dead, 4 injured in three Oakland shootings
Meredith May,Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writers

OAKLAND -- Six people were shot in Oakland, two of them fatally, Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

Gunfire erupted in three different locations, police said. The most violent shooting happened in the central part of the city, in the 1700 block of 20th Avenue at 1:48 a.m., where four people were fired on. One died at the scene and a second was in critical condition. The remaining two are in stable condition.

Police had just come from the 3400 block of Ettie Street in West Oakland, where another person had been shot and killed.

The third incident occurred in the 2400 block of High Street, in East Oakland, at 10:30 p.m. That victim was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition.

In a separate matter, police were also looking into the non-shooting death of a man found about 4:20 p.m. Saturday on the 700 block of Maritime Street at the Port of Oakland.

The names of the victims were not immediately released.

Police said there is no connection between the shootings and Saturday night's downtown Occupy Oakland skirmishes. They could not say if any of the shootings were otherwise related.

The carage continues with nary a peep from the policos in Oakland.

[Jarlaxle]

Police said they issued a dispersal order and used smoke and tear gas after some protesters pelted them with bottles, rocks, burning flares and other objects.

The response to that should consist of full-auto gunfire, shotguns, flamethrowers, and tanks firing cannister shot.

[dales]

And to hell with the innocent citizens who happen to be collateral damage.