Occupy Oakland: Cops bend law in brutal arrest wave

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Members of the Oakland Police Department arrest an Occupy Oakland demonstrator during a confrontation in Downtown Oakland (REUTERS / Stephen Lam)

Was police provocation behind the stand-off between law enforcers and Occupy protesters in Oakland, which ended up with a devastating incursion into City Hall and over 400 detainments? Witnesses insist no order to disperse preceded the mass arrests.

­The peaceful rally last Saturday turned into a violent clash, with protesters throwing stones at police and officers answering with tear gas grenades. In the end, law enforcement brutally beat the rioters, with over 400 arrested, on charges of disobeying commands to disperse and vandalism.

On Sunday, Mayor Jean Quan of Oakland was petrified to see the results of the assault on City Hall. Everything made of glass was smashed, documents spilled over the filthy floors, and graffiti covered the walls of the Hall. Reportedly, a US national flag had been burnt.

“Stop using Oakland as a playground,” the Mayor called on the activists, condemning the movement's tactics as “a constant provocation of the police with a lot of violence toward them.”

Demonstrations have already cost the city in already grave financial circumstances another $5 million.

The mayor said now the Occupy movement members have no excuse for their behavior.  

After the arrests, Occupy Oakland accused police of unlawful actions because the protesters were not given an opportunity to disperse. In turn, police say the people that gathered in front of City Hall did so with “the intent of unlawfully entering” the Mayor’s office.

So goes the official version of events.

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