A peaceful demonstration turned into a riot Wednesday night in Oakland, California. Protestors, angry about the shooting, smashed businesses and set fires in downtown Oakland, and confronted Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums on the steps of city hall…all while yelling “No Justice No Peace.”
I posted earlier this week about the BART police officer who fatally shot an unarmed man on the subway January 1, 2009.? Well, Oscar Grant, III has now been laid to rest and many are in fear of police retaliation based on the video of the murder coming out. The BART Transit Police officer who shot the the young man, Johannes Mehserle, 27, has quit the force this amidst community outrage and has also received death threats.? He has also refused questioning by the police internal review board investigating his shooting of 22-year-old Oscar Grant but police officials claim that the officer meant to use his taser and NOT his gun…(yeah right!)
At least 105 people were arrested for a variety of offenses Wednesday night. Police said charges for those arrested included assault on a police officer, looting, vandalism and arson. Some of those detained were found to have drugs, which added another count to the charges.
Angry about the New Year’s Day shooting by a BART police officer, protesters smashed businesses and set fires in downtown Oakland, and confronted Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums on the steps of city hall.
Oakland police beefed up their prescence on the streets Thursday morning, with officers in riot gear patrolling the streets as they anticipated more protests. Businesses downtown were cleaning up, dealing with the aftermath of smashed windows and cars.