Allegations Of Police Brutality Mar Occupy Oakland 'F**k OPD' Protest

Police toss woman off her bike during Saturday's 'Fuck OPD' protest.

Six people were arrested during Saturday night's "Fuck OPD" march after protesters allegedly turned surly with riot officers. According to The Chronicle, "The showdown Saturday night happened at the corner of Ninth and Washington streets, just blocks from Oakland police headquarters and the scene of an Oct. 25 clash in which protesters had thrown paint at riot officers, prompting police to fire tear gas."

Police also claimed that, according to OO reporter Susie Cagle, occupiers "broke patrol vehicle windows, vandalized a media van, threw bottles at the police, & lit an object on fire."

However, Oakland Police were apparently not on their best behavior last night—or so said Occupy protesters and other advocacy journalists at the scene. Occupy Oakland noted,"OPD chasing protestors, beating ppl, making arrests, shooting rubber bullets." Also, according to Occupy Oakland reporter Justin Beck, further allegations of police abuse plagued the rally. Beck sent out the follow Twitter message last night, "Guy interviewed by @OakFoSho said he saw cops beat a man, breaking his leg, then cops beat a medic trying to help the man."

Hmm. We'll be sure to update if we hear anything about broken bones care of Oakland Police.

Allegations of broken limbs aside, the follow footage shows OPD surrounding a woman ("Leela") on her bike, pulling her off, and then allegedly "pummeling" her before she evades further authoritative action. According to YouTube user pfailblog, who captured the footage, "[A] woman and her bike were shoved to the ground. She was then surrounded by several OPD who pulled out billy clubs and pummeled her and her bike. A group of fellow protesters screamed at the cops and ran to her rescue. Though she was pulled away from the grips of the police, she and the group were chased down the street."

OakFoSho conducted this interview with "Leela" shorty after the incident. She confirms that, yes, she was beaten with batons after being pushed off her bike by police. She goes on to point out, "The crazy fucked up thing is that I was...hella passive tonight...they took my bike trailer...they took my cake."

Saturday's protest was an attempt to "call on the city and the district attorney to release political prisoners who have been thrown in prison, and who are accused of crimes no more severe than sitting peacefully in a public space." Sparked by several arrests at Frank Ogawa Plaza during the last few weeks, members organized a "March Against Repression," billed by Occupiers as "Fuck OPD."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@sfist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Brock Keeling in News on January 8, 2012 11:50 AM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

Brandt Hardin

We are being subjected to a police state where protesting is
not being tolerated. These evictions
exemplify the suppression of our civil liberties including the right to
organize, one of the basis rights set forth by our founding fathers. Police brutality is running rampant under
orders from Governors who have their pockets lined with Wall Street and Special
Interest monies. Stand up and lend your
voice with these free posters I was compelled to design on my artist’s blog at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot...

JoBoxer141

Occupy OrganiCann Oakland across from Oakland Police "Occupy OPC@OPD" protest from 4pm - 6pm on Friday 1-13-2012 at "Oakland Organics" 705 Broadway, Oakland CA across from the Oakland Police Department

Flyer (top half) https://www.facebook.com/photo...

Flyer (bottom half) https://www.facebook.com/photo...

Event: https://www.facebook.com/event...

CptSludge

If they really wanted to "fuck the man" they would be out collecting signatures for a ballot measure to build a more equitable tax code, they would be organizing around a political candidate, or they would be participating in alternative economic exchanges.

As is, they just seem to want to relive a fantasy recreation of the 1960s. . .

Haggie

If you are throwing rocks and bottles at police and destroying private property, the use of force to detain and arrest you is completely legitimate.

Please remember that OO is wasting OPD resources that could be used to reduce the murder rate this year.

MoistPup

That's the thing. The city of Oakland wouldn't have spent the money on murder/robbery investigations. They created a giant hole in their police budget specifically to go after occupy. And what was occupy's terrible crime? Being on their lawn. Meanwhile, murders, robberies, beatings, gang attacks, shootings, violence, etc.. were never even considered for targeting with city funds and police time.

Tafter

You have to be joking.

The majority of the budget for law enforcement agencies in the area is for targeting murders, robberies, beatings, gang attacks, etc. You know: crime.

A large, not always peaceful, movement showed up in the last year and that situation demanded more funding for law enforcement and other agencies. Cities around the country put aside money from their already stretched budgets to address the situation because their normal funding for the agencies wasn't sufficient given the extra pressure.

Your spin on the events is as bad as any lie told by your governments and the corrupt corporations you hate so very much. Own up: the occupy movement is costing us money. You may think it is worth it (and many would agree), but it is still money spent.

MoistPup

So instead they've had months of 24 hour a day lawn protecting. Got it. Yeah, I'm totally crazy to think 24 hour a day street watching in West Oakland would hae been a better target for those funds.

Tafter

You are right. There was no reason, NONE WHATSOEVER, for the police to extend extra resources due to these protests.

Look, you just aren't being reasonable. Big crowds of people, often intent on disrupting commerce, traffic, commutes and anything else available to make their point will command not only attention but scrutiny from law enforcement. From any number of perspectives, not the least of which is public safety, it is reasonable for law enforcement to be all over these protests.

Let me put it another way: should the tea party protests have been monitored? Should law enforcement have beefed up security and prepared for the worst when those protests were going strong? I think so. What makes *your* cause so special?

It is simply unreasonable to expect protests to draw absolutely no scrutiny or resources from local governments. The majority of OWS protestors are nice, peaceful people trying to make a change. Law enforcement isn't worried about the majority.

John Seal

Snarky tone aside, this article includes numerous errors. For starters: Susie Cagle is not 'an OO reporter', she is an independent journalist covering Occupy Oakland. Additionally, all you have to do to prove that bones were broken and at least one rubber bullet or bean bag round was fired is to watch OakFoSho's now archived livestream. You will see the victim being loaded into an ambulance, and you will hear the gunshot.

pchazzz

All that proves is that a projectile was filed and a person was taken away in an ambulance.

SFist

John, Cagle is a reporter covering OO with an advocacy bent -- i.e., an OO reporter. And a great one to boot! That you assumed I was making some sort of jibe (or any "snark" [ugh, really?] for that matter) speaks volumes about your continued hole-ridden commentary. With all due respect...

Jeremy Leaird-Koch

Dear Occupy Oakland :

MalcoveMagnesia

Well OO got just what they wanted, confrontation. Let's see if they make any Section A's in the papers tomorrow. Assuming the Bay Area papers are automatically in, will any other national papers pick up the story? (which probably depends on additional factors, like: was there any blood spilled or ribs cracked?)

JC

In Soviet Russia, police fuck YOU!

snapshotist

Glad you're able to tell us what Occupy wants. Here's the actual list of wants. I've included the list from a site that agrees with you to make reading it easier.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/donnad...

Miles_Long

That’s the funniest thing I have read all week. Is that seriously a joke or not, I can’t tell. If that is real, it’s a sad sign of the level of intelligence that the Occupy kids have.

My favorite is the combo of demand one, demand three, and demand nine. A guaranteed 20 dollars an hour living wage regardless of employment means 41k a year provided by the government to every citizen and non citizen within out border, that’s lunacy. Do these morons not have any foresight what’s so ever? If those demands were met then over night every person from the third world would high tail it over here and not work a second. Shoot, I’d quit my job and coast on permanent vacation if I knew that the government was going to provide a guaranteed 41k a year.

Sharangir

Fake, there is no list of demands.

MalcoveMagnesia

I don't see "defend the commune" or "fuck the police" on that list. Where's the disconnect, buddy?

Sharangir

This is not part of OO.

(and OO doesn't have a list of demands either)

pchazzz

It was organized by the tactical committee, which is a group of people who, are under the "occupy oakland" banner, and who do autonomous actions/events, so, while not entirely an OO action, it is sponsored by an OO affiliated group.