Rallies and marches are scheduled today (Friday) across the country, as they were last Friday, in continued protest of the police killings of black people, and these include events in both San Francisco and Oakland. In SF, a rally is set to begin at 4 p.m. at Civic Center Plaza, and as KRON 4 reports, "Organizers say the protests will be peaceful." A separate rally will be happening at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland starting around the same time.
Anonymous, or those in charge of this Anonymous-branded Twitter account, are calling this Day of Solidarity, and are encouraging peaceful protests.
Several days ago, word went out via a series of emails and posts in conservative media that Anonymous and/or Black Lives Matter was planning "Day of Rage" protests today. The Dallas County Sheriff's Department is said to be bracing for this, and the Defense Department even sent out a warning to its employees to avoid the DC rally location, which is outside the White House, "for your personal safety." But as Snopes points out, the email that went out with the locations in 37 cities and using the term "Day of Rage" are nearly identical to a message that circulated in August 2014, in the wake of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson.
This is not to say that none of these protests will materialize today, but an organized "Day of Rage" is not what Anonymous itself is calling for. See tweets below, calling instead for #DayofSolidarity.
TOMORROW: Remember to organize with the hashtag #FridayOfSolidarity for tomorrow's event #BlackLivesMatter
— TheAnonMessage (@TheAnonnMessage) July 15, 2016
LOCATIONS: #FridayOfSolidarity #BlackLivesMatter #BatonRouge #Dallas #Chicago #Detroit #Oakland #Atlanta #Baltimore pic.twitter.com/QFRT1CDa4d
— TheAnonMessage (@TheAnonnMessage) July 11, 2016
Yeah, we don't know anything about this #dayofrage. We've been planning the #FridayOfSolidarity for the past week, and today's the day.
— TheAnonMessage (@TheAnonnMessage) July 15, 2016
Today is meant to be a peaceful show of nonviolence and civil disobedience. #FridayOfSolidarity
— TheAnonMessage (@TheAnonnMessage) July 15, 2016
CNN now perpetuating this "#dayofrage" pic.twitter.com/37Oc51OCI0
— TheAnonMessage (@TheAnonnMessage) July 15, 2016
It should also be noted that an anonymous tipster called the SFPD last Thursday to warn of violence and anarchy in the streets during last Friday's march, and this threat failed to materialize. The evening ended with no outbreaks of vandalism or violence, and very few arrests. A subsequent, smaller group of marchers on Saturday were determined to get onto the freeway, however were thwarted by police in several attempts.
A very large protest last Thursday in Oakland, however, numbering in the thousands, succeeded in shutting down the 880 freeway for several hours.
Previously: Hundreds Of Black Lives Matter Protesters March Through Downtown SF, Attempt To Get On Freeway