Oakland Cops Press Assault on Protesters Through the Night
Oakland police repeatedly fired tear gas and what appeared to be flash-bang grenades at Occupy Oakland protesters trying to retake their camp Tuesday night Police deny using flash-bangs, accusing protesters of throwing fireworks However, local news footage contradicts that claim Updated (more)Oakland police repeatedly fired tear gas and what appeared to be flash-bang grenades at Occupy Oakland protesters trying to retake their camp Tuesday night (more).
Oakland police repeatedly fired tear gas and what appeared to be flash-bang grenades at Occupy Oakland protesters trying to retake their camp Tuesday night. Police deny using flash-bangs, accusing protesters of throwing fireworks. However, local news footage contradicts that claim.
The camp at Oakland’s City Hall was dispersed before dawn Tuesday during another police assault. Protesters have refused to abandon the site altogether, despite the cop crackdown, which continued into the early hours of Wednesday morning.
A reporter for local station KTVU said the police actions “hit a lot of people pretty hard,” including a woman he saw who was “very seriously injured. She was on the ground and bleeding profusely.”
In the footage below, protesters carry a person they say was shot by police, presumably with a tear gas canister or rubber bullet, although this is Oakland we’re talking about and it wouldn’t be the first time the police shot someone.
New York, Boston, Oakland — police violence has accompanied these protests from the beginning, but an assault of this order may set a dangerous new standard. — PZS
Update: Scroll down past the excerpt below to watch a “Democracy Now!” report on the clash in Oakland.
More video of police firing on protesters here.
KTVU:
The first scuffle broke out after hundreds of people made their way back to City Hall in an attempt to re-establish a presence in the area of the dispersed camp.
The protesters gathered at a library and marched through downtown Oakland and ultimately were met by police officers in riot gear. Several small skirmishes broke out and officers cleared the area by firing tear gas.
The scene has repeated itself several times since. But each time officers move to disburse the crowd, protesters quickly gather again in assemblies that authorities have declared illegal.
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