Occupy Oakland: Police Release Their Own Videos Detailing Chaotic Raid
Categories: Occupy Bay Area
Oakland Police were wearing video cameras the morning they raided the Occupy Oakland camp two weeks ago, which quickly degenerated into chaos and violence. And with their own surveillance, comes the officers' own perspective on what happened that morning.
In the wake of massive criticism over police and their heavy-handed use of force, Oakland PD decided to release some of the footage for all to see. Here are a few clips:
"The images contained in this release are only a portion of what was captured," Oakland police said in a statement. "There are many hours of footage still being reviewed.... The officers were subjected to numerous assaults by the crowd throughout the
incident."
Here's another clip showing protesters throwing objects at police:
Meanwhile, a embattled Mayor Jean Quan continues to push for Occupy Oakland protesters to meet with her and discuss the future of the growing movement, which has turned Frank Ogawa Plaza into a makeshift community. The camp has grown to about 180 tents -- all filled with protesters. But businesses, especially in downtown where the economy was just starting to boom, are growing resentful of the squatters, saying business has been shot to hell since the protesters moved into downtown Oakland. The business community has been pressuring Quan to uproot the protesters.
"This situation is costing us real jobs," Quan said in a statement. "We can't afford to lose a single job."
To make matters even more tense, Oakland police are reportedly planning to cancel all training exercises next week. The Chron's Matier & Ross say a source inside the police department told them that this is an indication that police are making plans to clear out the Occupy Oakland camp -- again.
The cancellation coincided with Quan's Tuesday warning to the Occupy camp that "we cannot ignore violence, property destruction and health and safety issues in Frank Ogawa Plaza," the Chron reports.
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In the wake of massive criticism over police and their heavy-handed use of force, Oakland PD decided to release some of the footage for all to see. Here are a few clips:
"The images contained in this release are only a portion of what was captured," Oakland police said in a statement. "There are many hours of footage still being reviewed.... The officers were subjected to numerous assaults by the crowd throughout the
incident."
Here's another clip showing protesters throwing objects at police:
Meanwhile, a embattled Mayor Jean Quan continues to push for Occupy Oakland protesters to meet with her and discuss the future of the growing movement, which has turned Frank Ogawa Plaza into a makeshift community. The camp has grown to about 180 tents -- all filled with protesters. But businesses, especially in downtown where the economy was just starting to boom, are growing resentful of the squatters, saying business has been shot to hell since the protesters moved into downtown Oakland. The business community has been pressuring Quan to uproot the protesters.
"This situation is costing us real jobs," Quan said in a statement. "We can't afford to lose a single job."
To make matters even more tense, Oakland police are reportedly planning to cancel all training exercises next week. The Chron's Matier & Ross say a source inside the police department told them that this is an indication that police are making plans to clear out the Occupy Oakland camp -- again.
The cancellation coincided with Quan's Tuesday warning to the Occupy camp that "we cannot ignore violence, property destruction and health and safety issues in Frank Ogawa Plaza," the Chron reports.
Follow us on Twitter at @TheSnitchSF and @SFWeekly
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