Riot on Bro!!

[Rustyshakelford]

BART Shooting Protest Turns Violent In Oakland (1/8/2009)
You've heard of a mob mentality. Well, I've just seen it in action.

Wednesday night's riot in Oakland developed quickly like a spark into a wildfire, and I was right in the middle of it.

It started with a peaceful demonstration at the Fruitvale BART station. Hundreds of demonstrators carried signs, shouted into megaphones and voiced their opinions.

Suddenly, a large segment of the crowd started walking off.

"Where are you going?" I shouted, and I got 10 different answers; all of them in downtown Oakland. Many just shrugged their shoulders and said they were just following.

About 6:15 p.m., the crowd arrived at the Lake Merritt BART station at 800 Madison. They stopped and seemed confused, as if they were trying to understand why they were at a BART station and not BART headquarters.

Suddenly, a protester pointed at a police car. Someone started cursing at the officers who were standing behind it. The crowd surged. They rolled up a dumpster and set it on fire. It escalated. Someone else threw rocks; breaking the windshield. Traffic piled up and officers started shouting to the drivers, "Roll up your windows!"

The crowd surged several times. Once, CBS 5 photojournalist Patrick Sedillo was trampled. I was right behind him, and grabbed his coat before he hit the ground. We ran a short distance for cover.

About 3 dozen officers in riot gear and what appeared to be a SWAT armored personnel carrier lined up in formation. Officers fired tear gas into the crowd, and they quickly dispersed.

Protesters scrambled everywhere. They tried to regroup at Oakland Police Headquarters, but officers chased them off.

They reassembled at 14th and Broadway, near Oakland City Hall.

For the next hour, protesters gathered more and more strength; swelling to several hundred. Officers did the same, calling in more reinforcements in riot gear.

Demonstrators would occasionally disperse, but then instigators in the crowd who appeared to be anarchists called them back.

They wouldn't identify themselves, but those instigators wore bandanas on their faces and seemed more intent on provoking confrontations and throwing stuff at police than truly having their voices heard.

"Come stand with us," they implored. "Stand up for Oscar Grant!"

The crowd would then return. And they were getting bolder. Some protesters screamed just inches from the faces of officers. The cops stood still.

Others waved photos of Grant and called the officers "pigs" and "murderers." Other demonstrators lay face down with their arms behind their backs to demonstrate what Grant was doing when he was shot in the back by a BART police officer.

Shortly after 8 p.m., the Oakland Police gave the signal, and they slowly marched forward. Most protesters scattered; damaging cars and storefront windows on their way. They set trash cans and at least two cars on fire.

Glass started raining down. Bottles, trash – anything protesters could get their hands on – were flying at officers. They kept marching. Officers mechanically stomped over a woman's bike as they chased her off. Other protesters who stood their ground were hit with billy clubs.

Occasionally, officers would burst into the crowd to go after the folks throwing garbage at police. In a tactical maneuver reminiscent of my rugby days, the officers would send four officers sprinting into the crowd, tackle the suspected offender, then retreat with the arrestee back behind the formation.

Photojournalist Robert Moonan was nearly knocked over several times by these surging arrests, but managed to keep his feet and shot some amazing footage.

It was shocking to see, but the officers seemed to follow their training and were quite restrained, from my perspective.

To sum up the night, it was pandemonium that seemed uncontrolled, unplanned and unnecessary. Most of the protesters were not thrilled about having their peaceful demonstration thwarted by ugly behavior of a few. Seems to me most protesters were just mad. They followed blindly and got caught up in the moment.

The anger that spilled into the streets of Oakland was real. But the actions of the mob seemed surreal and, in the end, were counterproductive

[Big_Saw]

Far as I can see,the protesters had a legitimate gripe, and an illigitimate course of redress...should've amassed a larger number and peaceably marched on the mayor's house....armed, if necessary...that shooting was out-of-line, and the officer should have been treated as a common murderer, rather than a protected "official."

LEO's should be held to the same standard as those they enforce the laws upon...the same time-tables, the same jewelery, jump-suit...all of it.

Good cops know that having a badge doesn't make you "special"...it makes you more accountable.

[Brosia]

They stopped and seemed confused, as if they were trying to understand why they were at a BART station and not BART headquarters.

"a person is smart; people are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it"
-Agent K
Men in Black

[cowboysuper]

Remember "Innocent until Proven Guilty"?

Statements like "lay face down with their arms behind their backs to demonstrate what Grant was doing when he was shot in the back by a BART police officer." suggests that the BART officer is guilty until proven innocent. We can't possibly know "beyond a doubt" what the circumstances were that led to the shooting of Grant. That will be for a jury to decide. The media has a way of sensationalizing events to serve their own ratings goals and unfortunately, private citizen reactions to these premature condemnations serve only to support the media's agenda. I wonder, who will replace the property destroyed by the rioters? How will the folks who's cars were destroyed get to work? Do shop owners have to outlay their cash for gaurds ubtil they can buy the replacement windows? I'm sorry but anyone that attacks innocents to promote their personal grievances against others, regardless of the legitimacy of their complaint, deserves what they get.

[Legionnaire]

But who riots when a cop is wrongly killed?

[Visinedrops]

But who riots when a cop is wrongly killed?

The difference is simple, people will voice out about their opinion of a wrongful killing when an officer takes a life, but when an officer is killed, it's considered "in the line of duty".


People have no faith in police anymore, and with that said, an event such as this killing just backs the opinion of a group of people that the police are the enemy.

[Big_Saw]

I guess I'm kind of hardened to this particular incident, because around here, when an officer commits, and is found guilty of a crime, he or she never serves a sentence that the average joe would expect...instead they just get sent to the unemployment line, and might face civil litigation.

The fact that the suspect was shot in the back while lying prostrate is not in question in this story, though...it's already forensically proven...my gripe is that the man who shot him is not in a holding cell awaiting a hearing, because he happens to be a LEO.

If the same scenario were played out without a badge involved, you bet your sweet a** someone would be in a cell.

[Rustyshakelford]

The difference is simple, people will voice out about their opinion of a wrongful killing when an officer takes a life, but when an officer is killed, it's considered "in the line of duty".


People have no faith in police anymore, and with that said, an event such as this killing just backs the opinion of a group of people that the police are the enemy.

Cops are representatives of the government, enforcing the government rules/laws/taxes. When they kill someone it is the government excersizing it's supreme authority over the individual.

[hazenoff]

Cops are representatives of the government, enforcing the government rules/laws/taxes. When they kill someone it is the government excersizing it's supreme authority over the individual.

Well said Rusty... when you revolt against big brother, don't be surprised if you're made an example, pushed and held down to the ground in front of a couple hundred people, and killed in cold blood, to show everyone there, that the Government, the Police, etc are not to be questioned, but followed blindly, and any diversion from such course will result in your termination. Then the tapes in the area recording our every move, will suddenly be missing... seems to me these tapes only work, when it's to the government's advantage, and if anything incriminating is found on the side of Law Enforcement, or the Government, the tapes are seized and then magickally vanish into thin air.

[Big_Saw]

Let us not forget, though, that MOST LEOs are genuinely in the job to do the job to the best of their abilities, and with a reasonable standard of morals...I just wish that the law applied equally to all, regardless of office or rank, and when it does not, I believe it is the people's right, and obligation to check the powers that be, so they never forget who is out-manned and out-gunned, and who works for whom.

I just wonder if there are enough of us left to outweigh the sheeple......

[flight or fight]

Let us not forget, though, that MOST LEOs are genuinely in the job to do the job to the best of their abilities, and with a reasonable standard of morals...I just wish that the law applied equally to all, regardless of office or rank, and when it does not, I believe it is the people's right, and obligation to check the powers that be, so they never forget who is out-manned and out-gunned, and who works for whom.

I just wonder if there are enough of us left to outweigh the sheeple......

Not a chance. People are too conditioned to following orders to openly revolt and i hope i'm wrong but i don't see more that 5% of the population being anywhere near prepared enough to survive a week without structure.

[Big_Saw]

Not a chance. People are too conditioned to following orders to openly revolt and i hope i'm wrong but i don't see more that 5% of the population being anywhere near prepared enough to survive a week without structure.

Though I believe your estimate is likely a bit low, I agree w/your premise.....unfortunately.

[hazenoff]

I know most law enforcement officers do their job... what happens when that job is to control, police, and kill anyone who has an ounce of dissent or disobedience in their heart? When the order is given to kill all protestors, will the police do like the nazi's and just go... but I was only following orders!

Something to think about...we are supposed to have the freedom of speech, so the guy in Oakland screaming F*** the police, should not result in 2 police officers holding you down, while the other shoots you in the back, execution style. It should have resulted in all 3 being brought in on charges... accomplice to murder for the 2 cops that held him down, and murder 1 for the cop that did the shooting, the fact that one lost his Job, and the other 2 didn't so much as get a verbal scolding, other than maybe for getting caught on camera, is sickening, and to me, a sign of what is to come.

[voodoo]

Really starting to get interesting on the other side of the pond.

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/London_riots_over_Israels_Gaza_campaign_0110.html

[Rustyshakelford]

I know most law enforcement officers do their job... what happens when that job is to control, police, and kill anyone who has an ounce of dissent or disobedience in their heart? When the order is given to kill all protestors, will the police do like the nazi's and just go... but I was only following orders!

Something to think about...we are supposed to have the freedom of speech, so the guy in Oakland screaming F*** the police, should not result in 2 police officers holding you down, while the other shoots you in the back, execution style. It should have resulted in all 3 being brought in on charges... accomplice to murder for the 2 cops that held him down, and murder 1 for the cop that did the shooting, the fact that one lost his Job, and the other 2 didn't so much as get a verbal scolding, other than maybe for getting caught on camera, is sickening, and to me, a sign of what is to come.

The Nurenburg defense does not work.