Hundreds gathered Jan. 28 for the start of Occupy Oakland’s “Move in Day” at renamed Oscar Grant Plaza, site of its original encampment. Occupiers and community activists spoke of the need to occupy one of the many buildings left vacant by the economic crisis of 2008-09 and the resulting massive cuts to social services, in order to create a community space to further the growth of the movement
At its height, more than a thousand people from around California and from Longview, Wash., and elsewhere joined the action. The turnout challenged the corporate media’s portrayal of Occupy as a diminishing movement.
Media reports highlighted and exaggerated the vandalism by a few protesters and played down the cops' use of tear gas on people peacefully assembling, though reporters were also victims of the Oakland Police Department’s brutal tactics.
Starting at 2 p.m., a sound truck guided the marchers to one of the four possible sites that had been selected for a community center. There was a palpable sense of excitement as the marchers moved out.
A line of riot cops followed behind, harassing stragglers. As the march passed through Laney College, the MC on the sound truck voiced the hardships caused by cuts to education. As the marchers were about to leave the campus, a new line of riot cops blocked the main exit, diverting the march to another exit over a narrow bridge.
The march ended in front of the Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium, one of the targeted vacant buildings. Ironically, the façade includes text expounding how this is a public space. Occupiers chanted, “Whose big a** building? Our big a**building!”
OPD officers had already occupied the building grounds and erected a fence around the property. Activists proceeded to take down the fence and move in with their belongings. Suddenly, with no concern for public safety, the cops set off flash bang grenades and fired tear gas into the crowd, which included children in strollers.
When protesters tried to retreat to a different auditorium entrance, the police released a second barrage of flash bang grenades and tear gas. Activists retreated back to Oscar Grant Plaza.
After a couple of hours of food and rest, the General Assembly met and decided to try another site for the community center. Over a thousand people reconvened at Oscar Grant Plaza around 6 p.m. and kicked off another march.
The march went through downtown Oakland and almost re-occupied two buildings, but at this point a line of riot cops formed behind the march and attempted to kettle the marchers into an area for arrests.
What followed was a game of cat and mouse between the demonstrators and the OPD, with the OPD being the cat. The OPD kettled demonstrators in a park, blocked all exits and ordered demonstrators to disperse or face arrest. As protesters attempted to leave, the police released another round of tear gas and flash bang grenades. People had to jump over two metal fences surrounding a construction zone to escape the advancing cops.
Once clear of the tear gas, protesters marched down Broadway. Again the OPD kettled people, this time into a one-block area, and again ordered demonstrators to disperse or face arrest.
Demonstrators looked to the YMCA, the only business open on the block, for refuge. Upon reaching the front entrance, YMCA employees who had been watching the cops' brutal tactics showed their solidarity by opening the doors and guiding the demonstrators to the back exit.
More than 25 OPD officers quickly followed, chasing demonstrators through the YMCA and arresting people, including media reporters.
Following the last kettling, demonstrators fled for safety and refuge from the OPD brutality. Many were caught, beaten and arrested for trying to create a community center.
The media mouthpieces for the 1 percent, however, did not depict the day's events as they actually happened. The media are trying to portray the Occupy movement and its demands—such as an end to foreclosures and the use of vacant buildings for housing and community centers—as marginal and not worth supporting.
In reality, Occupy Oakland’s “Move in Day” demonstrated that Occupy has the potential to grow into a mass movement.
Activists protest police brutality
In response to the brutality unleashed by the Oakland police on Jan. 28, members of Occupy Oakland organized a protest march on Feb. 4. Around 200 people, including members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, came out to show that cop violence would not instill fear in the 99 percent of the Bay Area.
The organizers called on marchers to bring brooms in order to “clean up” the neighborhood and demonstrate that the people of Oakland could police themselves and care for their own community. As marchers gathered at Oscar Grant Plaza, Bella Eiko, a young African-American Occupier known for her spirited online coverage of the movement, addressed the protesters, differentiating self-defense tactics from “anti-police violence.” The crowd cheered her remarks and showed enthusiasm for taking its anti-cop message to the oppressed sectors of Oakland.
As the multinational march took to the streets at around 9 p.m., there was no sign of a police presence. By this time, traffic in the mostly commercial district was minimal and the march posed little inconvenience to motorists. However, as the march went up a two-lane boulevard, cops suddenly showed up and started forcing protesters into one lane. The cops, in riot gear, appeared ready to attack when Occupy organizers urged the crowd to take to the sidewalks. Protesters followed their lead until far enough away from the police to again take the street.
Throughout the rest of the march, the cops tried to divide the crowd and push the march along by intimidating with their clubs any who fell behind. About half way through the two-hour march, the cops, perhaps tired of walking, took to their cars and continued following , endangering anyone lagging behind.
The procession circled from downtown Oakland through several oppressed neighborhoods. Many residents came out to voice their solidarity and take pictures of the Occupiers. Chants included “F*** the Police!” and “Oink, Oink! Bang, Bang! Everyday the Same Thing!” The lead Occupiers called for money for schools and senior centers rather than the militarization of Oakland's police force.
The disciplined march ended back at Oscar Grant Plaza with no arrests.
The ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), of which the Party for Socialism and Liberation is a member, participated in the actions both days. Although the movement did not succeed in occupying a building to create a community center, the two actions exposed the callous lack of concern of the 1 percent for the needs of the 99 percent and proved that the struggle continues.
Sarah Carlson contributed to this report.
