As part of today's "National Day of Action to End Police Violence Against Black People," a concerted series of rallies that organizers say will occur at 80 locations under the unifying hashtag #freedomnow, local Black Lives Matter activists will march in San Francisco this evening and Oakland this afternoon.
According to a Facebook event, an evening of Action to End Racist Police Terror! is scheduled in San Francisco, as created by the group ANSWER Bay Area [Act Now to Stop War and End Racism]. "As part of a national day of action initiated by the Movement for Black Lives," ANSWER writes, "join us in the streets this Thursday in San Francisco to demand justice for all the victims of police brutality and end to racist police terror." That rally will begin at 5 p.m. at the Powell and Hyde Street Cable Car turnaround.
Also planned is a rally in Oakland, Freedom Now Bay Area Day of Action, set to begin at 3:30 p.m. today in front of the Oakland Police Department at 455 7th Street. "We Demand the immediate defunding of police departments & the immediate divestment from a system that criminalizes & imprisons our people at the local, state and federal level and a direct investment into the education, health and housing of our people," organizers from Black Lives Matter Bay Area say. "We demand investments that promotes the economic stability of our communities and increased community control over the institutions that are meant to serve us."
Meanwhile, protesters advocating for the city of Oakland to divest from its police department who chained themselves to the Police Officers' Association doors yesterday were still there, bundled up, as of 2 a.m. this morning.
2am at the Oakland police commission, folks still locked down! #freedomnow pic.twitter.com/cyP9LMcZkC
— #Asians4BlackLives (@Asians4BlkLives) July 21, 2016
Others at the Oakland Police Department headquarters were there this morning, similarly chained to the doors.
Solidarity activists at Oakland PD HQ #freedomnow #blacklivesmatter pic.twitter.com/Nfs8d8yXk3
— Diablo Rising Tide (@RTBayArea) July 21, 2016
This month, thousands have marched in San Francisco and Oakland in protest of police shootings of civilians, at one point shutting down freeway traffic across the Bay in both directions for several hours.
Related: Photos: 2,000 Rally Peacefully In Oakland To Protest Shootings Of Philando Castile And Alton Sterling
Peaceful March Against Police Killings Culminates In Rally At City Hall