Riot police from a number of Bay Area departments fired tear gas and other projectiles and arrested dozens of demonstrators early Thursday to break up Occupy Oakland protests that had drawn thousands of participants.
Officers moved in near the protesters' City Hall encampment, where tents resprouted after officials last week ordered them razed. The police action came after a predominantly peaceful day of protest that attracted more than 7,000 people.
The evening appeared to be winding down peacefully when protesters declared victory at the Port of Oakland at 9 p.m. Wednesday -- after authorities confirmed that a shift of officers scheduled to start work at 7 p.m. had been canceled. But as demonstrators massed again at the City Hall plaza, the situation devolved.
Demonstrators managed to gain entry to an empty building that had housed the Traveler's Aid Society, a nonprofit organization that assists the homeless but had suffered funding cuts. Leaflets indicated that protesters had targeted the building for "reuse." They branded it a new "community center" in Twitter feeds. Video from a local ABC affiliate's helicopter showed jubilant crowds flowing in and out of the building, where a banner marked "Occupy Everything" hung. Others built a barricade nearby, presumably to discourage police.
Shortly before midnight, local media reported that police officers from various agencies were suiting up in riot gear. Some demonstrators set the barricade aflame. Firefighters doused it. A police statement later said protesters had hurled rocks, explosives, bottles and flaming objects at officers.
A live video from a man who called himself #OakFoSho on Twitter, beamed to thousands of viewers into the early hours Thursday, showed Alameda County sheriff's deputies and Concord police officers among those authorities who surrounded the crowd on Broadway near Telegraph Avenue. Despite several volleys of tear gas, demonstrators boisterously played guitars and violins and sang classic songs such as Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons" and Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues."
At 1:14 a.m., however, a loud explosion could be heard on the video coming from the encampment. Oakland police, who had maintained a low profile all night, lined the plaza. Groggy people in tents could be heard telling police to go deal with troublemakers instead. One protester was hit in the leg with some kind of projectile. Video showed him running, then standing doubled over, whimpering in pain, as others from the encampment rushed to help him.
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