Officers began arresting rioters soon after 8 p.m., and police quickly moved in with tear gas during a tense standoff following the involuntary manslaughter conviction of former BART police Officer Johannes Mehserle for the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant on Jan. 1, 2009.
Early on, a mostly peaceful crowd blocked the street, calmly expressing their anger and grief through a bullhorn. But that changed after dark, when unruly protesters — believed to be non-Oakland residents and described by police as "anarchists" — turned violent. By 10:30 p.m., at least 50 arrests had been made, with that number expected to double by early morning.
Stephen Allen, a 22-year-old protester from West Oakland, got caught near a mob that broke through the gate of the Foot Locker shoe store and looted the store of sneakers and sportswear. Moments later, a masked man, in one swift and violent blow of a long object, broke the window of the Far East National Bank across the street.
"Before the sun went down, I was happy with everything," Allen said. "It's no longer about Oscar Grant. The people who went in there and came out with shoes, that's not about Oscar Grant anymore. What we had before the sun went down, that was justice. This is just pure stupidity."
City and law enforcement officials, as well as religious leaders and community organizers, had for weeks urged a calm, peaceful response to the verdict. Recreation centers, churches and other nonprofit groups had opened their doors to allow people to gather and express their feelings without resorting to the same type of violence that left a trail of smashed windows and other property damage during downtown protests in January 2009.
The city had prepared for the worst. Many downtown merchants boarded up their windows days in advance of the verdict, and downtown businesses and local, state and federal offices sent their employees home as soon as it was announced that a verdict had been reached. Several law enforcement agencies pledged their support and trained with Oakland police in recent weeks.
During the evening, a phalanx of officers stationed at the intersection at 11th and Broadway contained the crowd site and prevented it from spreading. The Fruitvale BART station, where Grant was killed, was quiet. As a precautionary measure, the CHP closed down freeway offramps and onramps at 6th and Broadway to prevent the possibility of protesters walking onto the freeway.
Oscar Grant's grandfather, who lives in Oakland, came downtown to be with the peaceful crowd. He called on the community not to "dishonor his grandson" with violence.
"I don't like the verdict but there are ways to deal with it without being violent," Grant Sr. said. "I do not want (people to use) violence to try and solve the verdict that happened today."
In a news conference, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums urged peaceful protest, coordinating with local nonprofits to send ministers, elders and other community members to talk to youths angry about the verdict.
"So many community groups have made the point that violence is not justice," the Rev. Dr. H. James Hopkins of Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church said. "So justice needs to have nonviolent measures. It's hard to see those videos and to think that today's verdict was justice. So we agree with the mayor when he said that the journey to justice (is not over)."
Michelle Washington owns a hair salon in the 300 block of 17th Street. She said people should find a more effective outlet for their pain and anger.
"People who riot, I have no respect for," Washington said. "They are hurting innocent people and we didn't have anything to do with what happened. If you are going to do something, get up and vote. That judge (in the Mehserle trial) would not be re-elected."
Many people who took to the streets, churches and recreation centers disagreed with the verdict. Others, while not happy, said they were gratified that a police officer was convicted of shooting an unarmed black man, because that is very rare. They credited the numerous videos of the incident with leading to a conviction.
"I just felt that as a voice, we are the people. Oscar Grant, that could have been anybody's child," said Elisher Muhammad, who owns a beauty shop on 17th Street but decided not to board up her windows. "It's sad to know that somebody could get away with a mistake like that, even if it was a mistake."
Several organizations hosted speakouts and music earlier in the evening for people to express themselves in nonviolent ways. About 100 young people nestled in comfortable couches at the Youth UpRising community center in East Oakland and took turns expressing their anger and frustration about the verdict during an open forum. At the Mosswood Recreation center in North Oakland, a multigenerational group gathered in a circle and shared feelings of sorrow and a variety of other emotions, said supervisor Karis Griffin.
"It's just a place where people are coming to talk about how they feel," Griffin said.
Abel Habtegeorgis, spokesman for the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, said the community needs to focus on changing the system.
"We want to address the system that recruited and trained Johannes Mehserle, that's the fight we need to continue on," he said. "We want to see as much effort and energy as police put into preparing for a riot, put into putting the community onboard and engaging in forums and workshops." |
