Tear gas deployed at demonstration march to OPD headquarters, crowd disperses
Youth led protest march in Oakland.
Tear gas deployed at demonstration march to OPD headquarters, crowd disperses
A march that began at Oakland Tech High School Monday afternoon grew in size as demonstrators marched against police brutality towards Oakland police headquarters. Tear gas was deployed ahead of the curfew, causing the crowd to disperse.
OAKLAND, Calif. - A mass protest march in Oakland Monday evening tested the boundaries of a newly-imposed curfew. The march, which started as a youth-led demonstration, was reportedly headed for Oakland Police Department headquarters at 7th and Broadway when it was dispersed by tear gas.
By 9 p.m. as many as 40 people were arrested on Broadway between 14th & 15th streets on suspicion of assaulting officers.
Oakland police spokeswoman Officer Johnna Watson said many others received citations for not complying with an unlawful assembly order.
At around 7:40 p.m., SkyFox helicopter captured what appeared to be a large cloud of tear gas deployed ahead of an 8 p.m. curfew.
Watson said a second group of people, separate from the youth-led march, began throwing rocks and bottles at officers. An unlawful assembly was declared in the area of Broadway between 8th and Washington streets. The crowd immediately dispersed when demonstrators were sent running in different directions from the smoke.
The police department claims that the students from the youth march had dispersed before the tear gas was used.
About an hour later, police and protesters were seen clashing on a nearby downtown street.
The youth-led demonstration against police brutality, following the in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis a week ago, began peacefully at Oakland Technical High School near 45th and Broadway.
A reporter at the scene estimated about 2,000 people had gathered around 4 p.m.
"People are waking up to the injustices going on in this country, white and black, and that's what's needed. We need people who aren't affected to stand up and join the cause," said Josiah Jacobs, 19, a college student who attended the Oakland Tech gathering.
Organizers made clear that anyone inciting violence would be asked to leave. Designated people in yellow vests would be on the look out for vandals.
By 7 p.m. demonstrators had made their way downtown to Frank Ogawa Plaza to listen to more speakers in front of City Hall.
Though the initial event had been organized by students, it appeared that many from the community had joined once the protest became mobile.
BART's 12th Street and 19th Street stations in Oakland closed
again Monday evening due to civil unrest.
The 12th Street station was closed as of 7:48 p.m. The 19th Street station was closed as of 7:51 p.m. and is located along Broadway with an entrance as far west as 17th Street.
The city of Oakland is under a curfew order imposed throughout Alameda County that went into effect at 8 p.m.
Bay City News reporter Dan McMenamin contributed to this story.