Angered by the 4 a.m. raid that demolished the two-week-old Occupy Oakland tent city at Frank Ogawa Plaza, more than a thousand protesters marched through the streets in downtown Oakland Oct. 25. The march left at 5 p.m. from the Oakland Public Library and lasted for hours, scattering and reconvening at times due to clouds of teargas or threats of mass arrest. Hundreds paraded through the streets, chanting, “We are the 99 percent.”
Police deployed teargas, hurled flash grenades, made arrests, used physical force, and sent helicopters overhead with searchlights in efforts to halt the march. Protesters, meanwhile, threw objects at police and taunted them. But demonstrators pressed on, some remaining in the streets well into the night. Multiple law enforcement agencies were called to Oakland for assistance. (The Occupy Oakland Twitter feed is here.)
According to an update from the National Lawyers Guild that was shared during the 4 p.m. rally, over 100 people remained in jail following the early morning raid on the encampment, and several had physical injuries. Lawyers expected most would be cited and released, and charges included illegal lodging and remaining at the scene of a riot. It was unclear how many arrests were made during the Oct. 25 demonstration.
Here’s a video of what transpired in the streets as Occupy Oakland protesters railed against police repression.
Video by Rebecca Bowe