Oakland, California police declared a protest Saturday an illegal assembly after “agitators” set fire to a court and tore apart a police station.
The Oakland Police Department declared a demonstration that brought together some 700 people in total as an “illegal assembly” shortly after 11:30 pm local time.
We are declaring an illegal assembly at the corner of 7th and Broadway. Asking the crowd to disperse. pic.twitter.com/eHxayhwhOL
– Oakland Police Department (@oaklandpoliceca) July 26, 2020
The “illegal assembly” designation came after some protesters set fire to the Alameda County Superior Court, and others smashed windows and spray-painted a police station, the police department tweeted. Oakland police also said protesters were firing fireworks and laser targeting officers and helicopters.
Police said several small fires were started and several people were arrested.
Agitators within the crowd of protesters have set fire to the Alameda County Superior Court. Please avoid the area. We call for peace and to have safe spaces and safe places for tonight’s demonstration. #WallofMoms pic.twitter.com/qYIcUONlgh
– Oakland Police Department (@oaklandpoliceca) July 26, 2020
Before declaring the meeting illegal, the police had used Twitter to ask organizers and protesters “to keep the protest peaceful.” Officials also reported that the protesters targeted racial slurs at residents.
“We call for peace and to have safe spaces and safe places for tonight’s demonstration,” the police department tweeted.
Some within the crowd of hundreds of protesters tore apart the police station. Break windows, spray paint, fireworks, and laser target officers and helicopters. We ask the organizers to keep the protest peaceful. #WallofMoms pic.twitter.com/SGU6Y7PULg
– Oakland Police Department (@oaklandpoliceca) July 26, 2020
The department shared videos of a person who knocked down a barricade next to the police station and a warning sign that chemicals were to be deployed.
This video shows a person tearing down the barricades in front of the police headquarters after officers called an illegal assembly and asked the crowd to disperse. pic.twitter.com/08S5b7IDLo
– Oakland Police Department (@oaklandpoliceca) July 26, 2020
We continue to ask the crowd to disperse due to an illegal assembly. Some in the crowd are firing projectiles and illegally targeting officers. We are using signals and giving vocal orders to the crowd if the assaults continue, chemicals will be deployed. pic.twitter.com/Un1Ndrs0AQ
– Oakland Police Department (@oaklandpoliceca) July 26, 2020
The protests spanned several blocks, with protesters in solidarity with protesters from Portland, Oregon and Black Lives Matter, CBS SF BayArea reported. The police station was also covered in graffiti, according to the media outlet.
Several cities erupted in protests after federal authorities were dispatched to quell the protests in Portland that have continued since George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody. Federal police have reportedly used tear gas and arrested protesters.
On Saturday, protesters in Portland continued to crash with the police in front of a federal court. The Portland Police Department declared riots in the city early Sunday morning after protesters tore down fences outside the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse.
President Trump
Donald John Trump Seattle police declare riots amid ongoing protests. Brazilian Bolsonaro says he tested positive for coronavirus. The Reagan Foundation asks the Trump campaign, RNC, to stop using the former president’s name to raise money. PLUS He said last week that he plans to send federal authorities to Chicago and other cities in the United States to fight the protests.
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