6 Arrested, Officer Injured As Oakland Police Clash With Jacob Blake Shooting Protesters
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Protesters marched through the streets of Oakland Saturday to demand justice in the police shooting of Jacob Blake, with clashes between agitators and police leading to the injury of one officer and half a dozen arrests.
Authorities said over one hundred people participated in the latest protest over the police shooting of Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It was the third night since Wednesday that marchers filled the streets of Oakland and other Bay Area cities. Protests have erupted nationwide since Blake was paralyzed after being shot in the back by officers on Aug. 23.
In several Twitter post, Oakland police said officers were assaulted on Saturday by rocks, bottles, shields and a laser. Authorities confirmed that one officer was injured, but did not offer any details about the nature or seriousness of the injury.
Police said officers deployed minimal gas and smoke during the protest, making "half a dozen arrests" and confiscating shields.
On Friday evening, Oakland police made more than a dozen arrests for various crimes including assault on an officer and a news crew with a laser pointer during protests throughout the downtown area..
Saturday night, police posted about the ongoing protests in Oakland shortly before 9:30 p.m., saying officers would "facilitate peaceful protests and demonstrations" while warning that any violent or disruptive behavior would not be tolerated.
Moments later, police were asking people to stay away from Grand Avenue due to protesters marching in the street and blocking traffic. More than 200 demonstrators marched along Mandana Boulevard.
Shortly before 10 p.m.police declared an unlawful gathering as clashes played out in the area of Mandana and Grand Avenue just off I-580.
At least one person was detained for vandalism, Oakland police
say.
Oakland police tweeted out several videos of people in the crowd throwing water bottles at police and pointing a green laser at officers. OPD also reported rocks being thrown at them and protesters are using shields as weapons.
On Wednesday and Friday of the past week, largely peaceful social justice demonstrations and marches were held in Oakland to show solidarity for people taking to the streets in Kenosha and across the country to demand justice for Blake.
On both days, groups splintered off from the main demonstration and allegedly committed acts of vandalism, breaking windows, lighting vehicles on fire and, on Wednesday night, breaking into the Alameda County courthouse and lighting a fire.
Professional athletes from in a range of sports have held some of the most high-profile protests. Teams from the NBA, WNBA, MLB, and MLS all announced their refusal to play Wednesday, including the San Francisco Giants and the San Jose Earthquakes.
The protest began after NBA players said they would boycott their Wednesday playoff games to protest racial injustice. On Friday, the Oakland A's and Houston Astros walked off the field at Minute Maid Park Friday evening, moments before the teams' scheduled game was set to start . The NHL also paused its playoffs until the weekend.
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Oakland was not the only Bay Area city with protests in recent days. According to witnesses, someone spray painted the front of San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo's home, which had a Black Lives Matter sign in the window, with phrases that included "BLM," Jacob Blake, along with profanities.
On Saturday morning, Liccardo's neighbors of San Jose Mayor Sam quickly banded together to help clean up the vandalism.
Liccardo said he was away visiting a relative at the time of the incident. The mayor said the vandalism does not detract from his support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
"This isn't First Amendment expression. This is vandalism," Liccardo said after returning home. "It is what it is. And members of my community suffer from crime every day. This is certainly not the worst of the crime."
Liccardo also said he appreciated the late night support from neighbors.
The mayor said it would be up to the District Attorney and police to decide whether to prosecute anyone for the vandalism.
