FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 1, 2012 – Oakland, CA – On January 28, thousands of people responded to Occupy Oakland’s call for a mass mobilization to occupy a vacant building and transform it into a new home for the movement. Occupy Oakland’s new home was to be a social center, open to all who wanted to participate and contribute. We planned to work together, as we did at Oscar Grant Plaza, to provide free food, housing, medical care, a space for children, a space for women and queers, and, most importantly, a community.
“The entire plan to take over a building was kept a secret in order to avoid conflict with the police,” said Occupier Jaime Omar Yassin. “The plan would allow people who wanted to stay away from police to do so. Only people who were committed to facing police violence and arrest–knowing the risks–would stay in the building. The last thing we wanted was for hundreds of people to be assaulted and arrested, but that seemed to be the OPD’s priority in order to protect an unused building.”
We were met with a massive police response including tear gas, flash bang grenades, sub lethal rounds and wanton baton strikes. The city, which continues to close libraries and schools and lay off city workers, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to violently prevent Occupy Oakland from transforming an unused, City-owned building into a socially useful space. In excess of $3 million of taxpayer money has been spent to repress Occupy Oakland so far; the city seems to have no intention of halting its costly and brutal efforts.
Despite the police aggression, close to a thousand people regrouped at Oscar Grant Plaza and marched through downtown. Police trapped us in a vacant lot at 19th and Telegraph and tear gas was once again used. After escaping the kettle, the march continued a few blocks north before hundreds were trapped again, in front of the YMCA building, and arrested with no dispersal order. By the end of the evening, close to 400 protesters had been arrested in Oakland, the vast majority with unfounded charges that will most likely be dropped.
Despite police and city official’s attempts to criminalize and smear Occupy Oakland, the movement retains high levels of broad support. The fact that several thousand people participated in the Move-in day is evidence of the continuing support for Occupy Oakland. Cars honked in support of the march as we passed in the streets, several storefronts cheered and residents passed out water to gassed and exhausted protesters. Solidarity demonstrations were held in nearly thirty cities, organized by Occupy Wall Street, Boston, Chicago and others.
As marchers were released through the weekend, stories of police misconduct emerged. Alyssa Eisenberg, an Occupy Oakland activist who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis, was denied her medication while being detained. “At least two other people who asked for medication weren’t given it,” she said. “One woman had her cuffs on so tight that her hands were turning blue and she was crying. The way they treated us is exactly why I am involved in Occupy Oakland,” Eisenberg said. Other protesters recently released from jail report similar widespread abuses. Detained protesters were kept in painful zip tie handcuffs—some for 8 to 12 hours—were not allowed to access bathrooms and were not given medical treatment for injuries or illness—including someone suffering from HIV and another suffering from a kidney condition. Those processed at Santa Rita have complained of being kept in holding areas designed for a fraction of their number, in inappropriate areas like shower rooms, and of being harassed.
These acts follow the Quan administration’s attempts to game the judicial system and use it to stifle freedom of expression with “stay away” orders and by piling on, and reopening, charges for protests. Occupy Oakland and the people of Oakland and the Bay Area, will not be intimidated into silence and passivity by the violence and repression against us. These acts only strengthen our resolve, and should be a clarion call to all people who value free speech and assembly. Occupy Oakland continues to plan demonstrations and actions to defend the interests of the 99% against the repression and greed of the 1%. On Sunday, January 29, the day after police attacks and arrests, Occupy Oakland’s General Assembly voted to hold a rally against police repression on Monday, February 6, and endorsed the call for a May 1 international general strike.
Other examples of misconduct from the weekend include:
* Firing sub-lethal ammunition indiscriminately into a crowd, at head level; use of tear gas in violation of OPD’s policies.
* Detaining journalists with visible press credentials
* Officers covering ID/name tags—illegal under California Penal Code 830.10; a Federal Judge recently called this “the most serious level of misconduct”
* Policies for dispersal orders not followed
* Unnecessary use of force and violence
* Filing “stay away” orders which prevent protesters from attending GAs and city council meetings.
Links and Video:
Judge Henderson’s Ruling on OPD Covering ID/Name
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/30/BAIM1N0JPG.DTL
Evidence that marchers were kettled and gassed, detained without warning, and NOT “occupying” the YMCA, by Spencer Mills aka OakFoSho
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTum1mSpkK8&feature=player_embedded
More clear video of the march being simultaneously trapped and tear gassed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pnjDSfwkPY
I need to write this somewhere, and this seemed as good as any a place, as it is among friends. Move/remove as appropriate.
Little background: I am a part-time Occupier in Santa Cruz (I work long hours), have visited OO a few times last year when the camp was there, and watched J28 live from 3 Ustreamers, the ABC7 helicopter view, as well as a Twitter feed from noon till midnight. I have been involved in collective actions since about the mid ’80s, originally in NW continental Europe, and subsequently wherever I found myself living around the globe. I have been in the area now for a decade.
Regardless of a discussion of violence – non-violence which goes well beyond this argument, I have a complete cognitive breakdown of the use of the word ‘violence’ to describe anything OO was involved in on saturday (or ever). Forget about police and city officials, nothing less can be expected of them. But “allies” are now coming out, supposedly sympathetic to the movement, condemning for OO’s “confrontational tactics”, or suggesting OO has lost its way, has been taken over by radicals, is deliberately seeking confrontation, etc.
(And those are the somewhat sane ones. Stuff like this is just wrong: “Oakland? That’s not a movement. Violence, setting fires, vandalizing public buildings, that’s not what #OWS is supposed to be about,”)
Yet, I completely fail to come up with a single instance of violence on OO’s part on J28, or even how an attempt to re-purpose a vacant building that has been empty for 6 years could be considered violent. ** (see footnote)
In (continental) Europe, throwing (plastic) bottles, water balloons, paint bombs, etc. are actually still considered non-violent tactics, despite being (somewhat) offensive in nature. Some property destruction goes a bit further, but would still not be considered violent. In the US (and I have seen this before in anti-globalization protests as well as anti-war), this is not the case. Apparently, even using shields to protect yourself from police projectiles is considered provocative and confrontational.
In Greece, molotov cocktails/firebombs are routine, and especially police stations are common targets.
In Egypt, protesters in Tahrir throughout the (initial) revolution fought pitched battles with rocks and other projectiles, fought off the police and defended barricades furiously. I understand that these protesters actually came under live fire, but isn’t that just a question of degree? Meanwhile, the Egyptian protesters (rightly) are universally loved.
But not here. Defend yourself from police brutality, only necessary as a response to earlier action, and you’re confrontational, violent, and have lost your way.
So, can someone explain where the boundary is? Where non-violence becomes violence in the US? I have seen in the past ultra-pacifists protect bank windows and even chainlink fences with their bodies from other protesters. I have heard ultra-pacifists say that you’re not supposed to even have anger in your heart for those that brutalize you.
This is crazy, divides brothers and sisters, and only serves the authorities.
When in the face of less lethal rounds at head level, flash bangs, tear gas, smoke bombs and what not, a plastic bottle is thrown at the police lines, and you condemn that incredibly restrained response, in my mind you are siding with authority.
When after a day of violating just about every rule in the book on crowd control some who escaped detention burn a flag, a constitutionally protected free-speech act (however you feel about it tactically), you condemn that incredibly restrained response, in my mind, you are siding with authority.
If 100s of building remain vacant, and there is a huge need in the community, and people want to productively build something themselves to serve that need, and you condemn that as violence, in my mind, you are siding with authority.
With you (OO) in strong solidarity. When I see you, even though I know just a handful of you, I see me. I see my brothers and sisters, my community, my people. Endless love and admiration for your courage and tenacity.
** Squatting was only made illegal in Holland in 2010, after 30 years of European neo-liberalism, and since the 80s dozens of squats around the country provided music, culture, food, information and news, living space, etc. and many were eventually legalized. Many of those are still active.
Well said.
Yes, thanks for this comment. I can’t stand all the moralistic condemnation of OO folks.
great work on this. thanks for getting out the truth!
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“fight for your rights or die tryin” Peace Justice and Love “Dreski” “theunmaskedone”
!!!!
@Ricardo – there is nothing wrong with wanting to re purpose a vacant building its the way they went about it . they should have instead arranged it with the city government . their “general assembly” has no authority to make any decisions that effect anyone or make any decisions outside this group of people . the GA cannot claim a new use for a building that does not belong to them or to occupy any land or property without the permission of the owner . a society has to follow laws and those who break these laws will face resistance and should face resistance .
occupy oakland did that – they were attempting to break the law – to occupy a building that they had no right to occupy and so they were met by the police and told that they had to disperse and could not continue with their stated goal of breaking the law . at this point the protestors should have left the area if they did not want a fight with police .
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