Occupy Oakland refers to a collaboration and series of demonstrations in Oakland, California, that started in October 2011. As part of the Occupy movement, protesters have staged occupations, most notably at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in front of Oakland City Hall.
Occupy Oakland began as a protest encampment at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza on October 10, 2011. Protesters renamed it Oscar Grant Plaza after a young man who was fatally shot by Bay Area Rapid Transit Police in 2009. The encampment was cleared out by multiple law enforcement agencies on October 25, 2011. The movement also helped spur the November 2, 2011, Oakland General Strike that shut down the Port of Oakland. Police again cleared the protest encampment at Frank Ogawa Plaza on November 14, 2011. Other protest encampments were created and subsequently dismantled by law enforcement. The last encampment at Snow Park was cleared on November 21, 2011. Occupy Oakland then had no physical presence in any public space overnight in the city.
Occupy Oakland has often centered on complaints about alleged police misconduct, and relationships between protesters and police were especially frayed at Occupy Oakland.Occupy showdown brings whiff of Reagan back to Oakland , Oakland police estimated that as of April 2012 they had interacted with over 60,000 protesters since the movement began. As of December 2014, Occupy Oakland continued to engage in organized events and actions on a much smaller scale than the earlier demonstrations.
Occupations and major events First plaza occupation
The first occupation lasted for 15 days from October 10 to October 25. Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, was symbolically renamed "Oscar Grant Plaza" by the protesters, referring to Oscar Grant, an Oakland man shot and killed by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle in 2009.
The occupation of Frank Ogawa Plaza officially began at 4 p.m. on October 10, 2011, with a rally attended by hundreds of supporters that was also held in tandem with a rally for Indigenous People's Day. The first general assembly, based on Occupy Wall Street's New York general assembly, was held in the plaza amphitheater at 6 p.m. and several dozen protesters set up tents that evening.
Occupy Oakland planned and organized a number of direct actions including marches and rallies and guest speakers to build support for the movement. On October 14, protesters participated in a short march during rush hour traffic. The following weekend, around 2,500 people, including actor and activist Danny Glover, came out for a Saturday march and rally to show their support for Occupy Oakland. On October 17, the three American hikers recently freed from an Iranian prison made their first West Coast speaking appearance at Occupy Oakland, drawing an audience of around 300 people.
The camp grew to roughly 150 tents that were used for both camping and to provide services to protesters and visitors. A "miniature city" evolved with a kitchen, library, a bicycle-powered media center, and children's village. The grass was strewn with straw and walkways were created using wooden pallets and boards. There were tents dedicated to arts and crafts, medical attention, supplies, and conflict resolution. Activities were scheduled throughout the day including committee meetings, discussion groups, and yoga classes. Actor and activist Danny Glover spoke at a rally on October 15. Hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco donated food, supplies, and tents to the protesters the night he played a concert in town. The grandnephew of labor leader and civil rights activist César Chávez, Mateus Chávez and his fiancé Latrina Rhinehart, got married at the site on October 20, 2011, to show their support.
On October 22, protesters held a rally at the plaza, marched from the plaza to Snow Park and protested outside a branch of Wells Fargo.
October 25 police raid and evening protest At 4:50 a.m. on October 25, 2011, police in riot gear arrived to clear the plaza encampment. The raid was conducted by 392 officers of the Oakland Police Department along with 202 personnel from 15 local law-enforcement agencies under a mutual aid agreement. Officers were from the police departments of Berkeley, UC Berkeley, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Newark, Palo Alto, Pleasanton, San Francisco, San Jose, and Santa Clara, as well as the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, San Francisco Sheriff's Department, Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, and Solano County Sheriff's Department. Additionally, the California Highway Patrol assisted in traffic management and security of the freeways, but was not involved with clearing the camp.
About 200 protesters attempted to stop the police from clearing the camp with a makeshift barricade consisting of crates, metal police barricades and dumpsters. Police stated that loud bangs that were heard when the raid began came from M-80 and M-1000 firecrackers hurled at officers by protesters. Police said that they used tear gas in order to effect an arrest after officers who were pelted with rocks and bottles, and that police used a beanbag non-lethal rounds after a protester threw a garbage can at officers. During the raid police arrested a total of 75 people, mostly for misdemeanors. Police erected metal barricades around the perimeter of the encampment, as 200-300 protesters gathered around them chanting.
At 4 p.m. between 1000 and 1500 protesters gathered at the downtown Oakland Public Library for a rally and march back to the plaza to try and re-occupy the plaza. On their way, they headed to the Oakland Police Department Headquarters to protest, and were blocked by a line of police in riot gear. There was a brief standoff and after a police officer attempted to arrest a woman, 50 or so protesters surrounded the officers and some protesters threw paint on the police. At 6 p.m. riot police began firing tear gas at the marching protesters. The protesters continued to regroup and, at one point, sat down with linked arms in the intersection of 14th and Broadway near the plaza. The protest was declared an unlawful assembly and protesters told to leave or be subject to arrest The march continued around the city until about 9:30 p.m. when the protesters returned again to the plaza which was barricaded and guarded by 100 police officers in riot gear. Some protesters threw water bottles and other objects at the police after which police issued dispersal orders, which failed to disperse the crowd. Police then fired tear gas and beanbag rounds at some remaining protesters.
Oakland police chief Howard Jordan denied the use of flashbang grenades and said that the explosions came from M-80 firecrackers thrown by protesters. There were conflicting reports between protesters and police over whether the loud noises and explosions came from flashbang grenades or M-80 firecrackers
One protester, Iraq War veteran Scott Olsen, suffered a skull fracture caused by a projectile that witnesses believed was a tear gas or smoke canister fired by police. He was rushed to the hospital by other protesters, who were struck with unknown projectiles while attempting to aid him. At least two other protesters were also injured. The American Civil Liberties Union and National Lawyers Guild called for an investigation into the use of alleged use of excessive force by some Oakland police officers.
Second plaza occupation
October 26, the day after the police raid, between 1,500 and 3,000 people gathered for a speak-out and general assembly in the plaza's amphitheater. The grassy area of the plaza was empty and surrounded by chain link fences. The general assembly voted to organize a general strike for November 2. The fences were torn down by protesters chanting, "Whose park? Our park!" and one tent was erected. Mayor Jean Quan issued a statement urging non-violence and asked that there be no overnight camping, however the city did not take steps to prevent protesters from re-occupying the plaza.
The plaza was occupied for 18 days, from October 26 to November 14, and the "miniature city" grew to about 180 tents. A medical tent staffed by members of the California Nurses Association and an interfaith tent were added to the new "miniature city". Documentary filmmaker and activist Michael Moore visited the site on October 28, 2011, and made a speech to encourage the crowd of protesters. That same day, protesters in Egypt marched from Cairo's Tahrir Square to the U.S. Embassy in solidarity with Occupy Oakland.
On November 10, a man was fatally shot about 25 yards away from the encampment. Occupy Oakland medics responded to the victim until police and paramedics arrived. Initially, there were mixed reports about whether the people involved in the shooting were connected to Occupy Oakland. Police later found that the victim, 25-year-old Kayode Ola Foster, was indeed an Occupy Oakland participant, but only for the previous few days, as was one of two possible murder suspects. In response to the shooting, demonstrators observed silence, prayed, and held a candlelight vigil for the victim led by one of the camp chaplains.
On November 15, Occupy Oakland protesters joined the Occupy Cal demonstrations at UC Berkeley.
November 14 police raid The city of Oakland distributed notices of violation to protesters for three days from November 11 through November 13. The notices stated that the protesters were in violation of the city code by lodging overnight, obstructing the use of a public park, and making fires in a public park. In the early hours of November 14, approximately 700-1000 police dismantled the camp while supporters protested peacefully around the encampment. Police made about 20 arrests in total.
General strike of November 2
Thousands of protesters gathered at the plaza on November 2 to participate in rallies, marches, and teach-ins designed to draw attention to economic inequity and corporate greed as part of the 2011 Oakland General Strike. The Port of Oakland, the fifth busiest port in the United States, was shut down after several thousand protesters blocked entrances to the port.
Official estimates put the number of people attending the general strike at 7,000, while organizers say there were between 20,000 and 30,000. Most of the protesters were peaceful, but some protesters smashed windows at Whole Foods and Wells Fargo, looted an art store, and plastered downtown businesses with graffiti.
The police presence was minimal during the strike, and most protesters had gone home by 11 p.m. when dozens of protesters took over a building that once housed the nonprofit Travelers Aid Society, and started a massive trash fire at 16th and Broadway that sent flames 15 feet high. Just after midnight, police declared the protest an unlawful assembly and ordered the crowd to disperse. After one officer was struck on his face shield by a bottle, officers used flash-bang grenades and tear-gas canisters to attempt to disperse the crowd. A series of clashes between protesters and police continued throughout the night with 103 people arrested in total.
Snow Park and Veterans Memorial camp Snow Park, a small park beside Lake Merritt, was occupied on October 18 by about two dozen protesters after Frank Ogawa Plaza had filled up with tents. The Snow Park protesters initially spent time maintaining the grounds of the park. They were removed from the park by law enforcement on the morning of October 25, an hour after Frank Ogawa Plaza was raided, and six protesters were arrested. The camp was reestablished with one tent erected on October 26. The encampment grew to about 20 tents by November 13. On November 21, 100 campers peacefully left Snow Park after law enforcement arrived.
About seven protesters set up camp in front of the Veterans Memorial Building near the intersection of Harrison and Grand on Veterans Day, November 11. They were cleared out by law enforcement on November 14.