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My Experience of the Oakland Dock's Protest
My Experience of the Oakland Dock's Protest
I am tired of the lies. The lies the government is telling me. The lies I see when I turn on the television. The lies that this is a "successful" war. The lies when I experience a peaceful protest and see it portrayed as violent. I am tired.
I was one of the hundreds of people who met at the Oakland Docks early in the morning on Monday to peacefully picket in front of the APL shipping lines-which transports munitions that are being used to kill men, women, and children in Iraq. I had a little time to to hold my sign and walk in a circle, participating in the community effrot to the block the APL driveway. Many Longshoremen watched and many showed support for
what I and others were doing.
The police did give dispersal warnings to our picket of women and men, old and young, holding signs and chanting peaceful slogans. But then time sped up very quickly as we heard huge blasts from guns that sounded like war itself, and I saw some people fall from wounds caused by the objects being fired upon us. Many of us ran, some left the scene altogther. Some of us did not want to give up that quickly, feeling that it
was our democratic right to picket on Oakland property. We re-grouped and joined a smaller picket circle in front of another driveway at the
docks.
Once again, we had little time to come together and communicate about what we wanted to do. My girlfriend and I joined the last remaining circle. We saw people running, police on motorcycles powerfully charging at
the protestors, actually hitting one woman, leaving tire prints on her arm, leg, and back. The loud bangs began again, and we may or may not have been told to disperse. Suddenly another wave of police ran towards
us. Many people tried to run away to the other side of the street, but we were effectively trapped. Thankfully my 60-year old mother had just mananged to avoid the charging police, as I saw one guy get thrown to the ground very forcefully by 5 police officers. I saw no one doing anything violent towards the police. Why would we use violence when we were at the docks to protest the violence being done by our government to innocent people in Iraq? I saw people trying to escape and "disperse" as the police would say, but they were not allowed to. It was too late.
The police were brutal in their attack. They fired on people at alarmingly close range. I saw many being carried away, or arrested, who were bloody and wearing a stunned look on their faces. These were young people, elderly men and women, people of many colors and economic backgrounds, teachers and union workers. The police were indiscriminate. They rounded up 31 of us and we were handcuffed and put into a bus. A guy next to me had gravel in the side of his face and his back was greatly aching from the force of 5 police officers on top of him, one with a knee in
his back. This for a man not resisting arrest.
We were arrested at around 8:30am on Monday morning and held in Santa Rita county jail until 4am the next morning. We were seperated by gender
and shoved into cells that were meant to hold half our size. There was 16 men in our cell. Once again the diversity of people was not like the picture painted by the media-we were old and young and not one of us had acted with any violence. We were held in this cell for about 14 hours-not being told when we would be released. We were treated poorly indeed. We were even taunted by the guards-one who shoved a picture of George Bush and a trapped looking Saddam Hussein in my face and asked what I thought of it. I said, believe it or not, we are not in here in support of Saddam Hussein, but for the Iraqi people who are being slaughtered by our government. We are in here because we have the right, less and less, to peacefully protest in our democratic nation. He snickered, "You people are so stupid."
The time in this cell was tough and hard, on the cement floors, but we managed to bond at a level not usual in the divided norm of our society. We went around the room and told jokes, played theatre games, and talked about everything from the overthrow of Chile's President Allende in the 1970's to the tragedy in Iraq. One man had just returned from Palestine where he was working with the International Solidarity Movement. He recounted the horrific story of a few weeks ago, when the Internationalists were walking peacefully with some Palestinians and they noticed an Israeli militant watching them from a tower through the scope of his rifle. They thought he was just watching their procession. Suddenly they heard a shot and a Palestian boy of 14 years who was walking in their line with them, was suddenly dead with a gunshot wound in his head.
I remember reading about this in the paper and the man in my cell recounted his horror of witnessing this incident so closely, and also his sadness as the story was presented in the media the next day as the boy
throwing a molotav cocktail and the Israeli army was just reacting in self-defence. An outright lie, stripping this boy of the dignity of the memory of his life.
As we sat in a cell now thousands of miles away from this violence, I felt the horror of violence and war. An occasional "prisoner" would pass us in the hallway and I felt the horror of his life in this place of such deadness. We bonded in this cell and I felt hope that our cause was going to be heard around the world. The union leader who was arrested with us said that Longshormen around the world would protest this assault on his peaceful brothers.
When I woke up this morning, I was distraught to see the media coverage of our protest for peace at the Oakland docks. Similar to the story the man in my jail cell had told about the Israeli military making up stories to excuse their killing of an innocent Palestinian boy, our protest was being presented in the media as a legitimate police reaction to OUR violence. The police claimed that their actions were justified because they were responding to our throwing of rocks, and cement. Once again, lies. No one in my jail cell witnessed any such violence on the part of
the peace protesters. None of us participated in any aggressive actions.
We will not stop protesting against the war. We will fight for the truth non-violently. If the reality of what happened at a protest in Oakland can't even be reported in the media, how can we know what's happening to innocent people in Iraq, where thousands of bombs are falling all over the country? They aren't only falling on Saddam Hussein and the Republican Guard. They are destroying innocent people's homes and lives.
I will never forget my fellow protesters from the Oakland dock picket. The same people who today must read the lies about our experience, but know that our fight is not in vain.
By Paul Ginocchio
Oakland, CA
Phone: (510) 839-8911
E-mail: paulginocchio [at] yahoo.com
I was one of the hundreds of people who met at the Oakland Docks early in the morning on Monday to peacefully picket in front of the APL shipping lines-which transports munitions that are being used to kill men, women, and children in Iraq. I had a little time to to hold my sign and walk in a circle, participating in the community effrot to the block the APL driveway. Many Longshoremen watched and many showed support for
what I and others were doing.
The police did give dispersal warnings to our picket of women and men, old and young, holding signs and chanting peaceful slogans. But then time sped up very quickly as we heard huge blasts from guns that sounded like war itself, and I saw some people fall from wounds caused by the objects being fired upon us. Many of us ran, some left the scene altogther. Some of us did not want to give up that quickly, feeling that it
was our democratic right to picket on Oakland property. We re-grouped and joined a smaller picket circle in front of another driveway at the
docks.
Once again, we had little time to come together and communicate about what we wanted to do. My girlfriend and I joined the last remaining circle. We saw people running, police on motorcycles powerfully charging at
the protestors, actually hitting one woman, leaving tire prints on her arm, leg, and back. The loud bangs began again, and we may or may not have been told to disperse. Suddenly another wave of police ran towards
us. Many people tried to run away to the other side of the street, but we were effectively trapped. Thankfully my 60-year old mother had just mananged to avoid the charging police, as I saw one guy get thrown to the ground very forcefully by 5 police officers. I saw no one doing anything violent towards the police. Why would we use violence when we were at the docks to protest the violence being done by our government to innocent people in Iraq? I saw people trying to escape and "disperse" as the police would say, but they were not allowed to. It was too late.
The police were brutal in their attack. They fired on people at alarmingly close range. I saw many being carried away, or arrested, who were bloody and wearing a stunned look on their faces. These were young people, elderly men and women, people of many colors and economic backgrounds, teachers and union workers. The police were indiscriminate. They rounded up 31 of us and we were handcuffed and put into a bus. A guy next to me had gravel in the side of his face and his back was greatly aching from the force of 5 police officers on top of him, one with a knee in
his back. This for a man not resisting arrest.
We were arrested at around 8:30am on Monday morning and held in Santa Rita county jail until 4am the next morning. We were seperated by gender
and shoved into cells that were meant to hold half our size. There was 16 men in our cell. Once again the diversity of people was not like the picture painted by the media-we were old and young and not one of us had acted with any violence. We were held in this cell for about 14 hours-not being told when we would be released. We were treated poorly indeed. We were even taunted by the guards-one who shoved a picture of George Bush and a trapped looking Saddam Hussein in my face and asked what I thought of it. I said, believe it or not, we are not in here in support of Saddam Hussein, but for the Iraqi people who are being slaughtered by our government. We are in here because we have the right, less and less, to peacefully protest in our democratic nation. He snickered, "You people are so stupid."
The time in this cell was tough and hard, on the cement floors, but we managed to bond at a level not usual in the divided norm of our society. We went around the room and told jokes, played theatre games, and talked about everything from the overthrow of Chile's President Allende in the 1970's to the tragedy in Iraq. One man had just returned from Palestine where he was working with the International Solidarity Movement. He recounted the horrific story of a few weeks ago, when the Internationalists were walking peacefully with some Palestinians and they noticed an Israeli militant watching them from a tower through the scope of his rifle. They thought he was just watching their procession. Suddenly they heard a shot and a Palestian boy of 14 years who was walking in their line with them, was suddenly dead with a gunshot wound in his head.
I remember reading about this in the paper and the man in my cell recounted his horror of witnessing this incident so closely, and also his sadness as the story was presented in the media the next day as the boy
throwing a molotav cocktail and the Israeli army was just reacting in self-defence. An outright lie, stripping this boy of the dignity of the memory of his life.
As we sat in a cell now thousands of miles away from this violence, I felt the horror of violence and war. An occasional "prisoner" would pass us in the hallway and I felt the horror of his life in this place of such deadness. We bonded in this cell and I felt hope that our cause was going to be heard around the world. The union leader who was arrested with us said that Longshormen around the world would protest this assault on his peaceful brothers.
When I woke up this morning, I was distraught to see the media coverage of our protest for peace at the Oakland docks. Similar to the story the man in my jail cell had told about the Israeli military making up stories to excuse their killing of an innocent Palestinian boy, our protest was being presented in the media as a legitimate police reaction to OUR violence. The police claimed that their actions were justified because they were responding to our throwing of rocks, and cement. Once again, lies. No one in my jail cell witnessed any such violence on the part of
the peace protesters. None of us participated in any aggressive actions.
We will not stop protesting against the war. We will fight for the truth non-violently. If the reality of what happened at a protest in Oakland can't even be reported in the media, how can we know what's happening to innocent people in Iraq, where thousands of bombs are falling all over the country? They aren't only falling on Saddam Hussein and the Republican Guard. They are destroying innocent people's homes and lives.
I will never forget my fellow protesters from the Oakland dock picket. The same people who today must read the lies about our experience, but know that our fight is not in vain.
By Paul Ginocchio
Oakland, CA
Phone: (510) 839-8911
E-mail: paulginocchio [at] yahoo.com
Add Your Comments
Comments
(Hide Comments)
"Why of course the people don't want war. Why should some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally the common people don't want war neither in Russia, nor in England, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."
Hermann Goering
Hermann Goering
i am including below what i wrote to our local activist list about my conversation with the OPD PR officer today (this is an open list, btw, you can email me if you'd like to join it).
Peace, my friend -- the struggle will be long. but we will win in the end. We will win, because *there is no other direction for the human species and the world*.
-XTG
To: peace-discuss [at] lists.Stanford.EDU
Subject: Report on my call to Oakland PD
i just called 510-238-3365 and talked for a while to OPD public affairs
officer Danielle Ashford, gist of it was this:
She told me that they *are* going to be doing an internal investigation
and look into what happened, and the policies. i said i would be watching
this very carefully.
i think it *IS VERY IMPORTANT* that as many people as possible call and
keep this pressure on.
------------- More details, if you want to read them:
She was quite nice and polite throughout, and though very sharp at times,
i was also polite throughout, and i started the conversation asking for
where i could find info on what happened yest. she said she could answer
q's, so i said ok, why did cops fired on unarmed and peaceful protesters?
she then gave me the line saying that when the cops gave the dispersal
order, most people dispersed, and a few stayed behind. (i forgot to
mention that from what i read, few (if any) people heard a dispersal
order). i then said what is *that* about, that the people who remained
behind simply got fired on?? (and she said again that a full report would
be done).
she kept emphasizing that they were "non-lethal" weapons -- i said great,
what if someone got hit in the eye and blinded, then what?
even *before* that point -- you SIMPLY DO NOT ATTACK IN ANY WAY PEOPLE WHO
ARE NOT FIGHTING YOU. that is against various Geneva Conventions even.
i remember this from Seattle times, and how the cops moved in to attack to
disperse (with batons and pepper spray mostly) vs. the (relatively
reasonable) way the SF cops have dealt with protesters they want to
remove the last few weeks, by arresting them and taking them away. that
is what's *supposed* to happen.
then i said yes, i'd heard the *allegations* that someone threw a bottle
-- how can i believe that without seeing evidence? i will not even take
protesters' words for anything -- but i've *seen* the pictures and video
(from Indybay) of people being shot at (and if anyone has seen the photos
of the full body armor the cops came in with, they obviously were itching
for a fight like that).
where is *their* video?
and even then, how do i know it was a protester, vs. someone from the
sidelines not involved?
and -- was any cop even hit at all, let alone injured, if this happened?
this defense is paper-thin and facetious (and of course some of the SF
cops had things thrown at them from the crowds -- they weren't on
hair-trigger alert to go rampaging on the protesters).
i said that that could have been *ME* in that protest group, and i do not
*ever* think it's a good idea to throw things at the police lines, nor
have i ever, but i could have been shot at like that!
(in fact -- one of the 3 people who went to this from Stanford *was* shot
at while running, and luckily wasn't hurt, but it broke the cellphone in
her back pocket (think there's a good chance the OPD will reimburse her
for it??? not.) )
i said that she (Officer Ashford) and i may be from different parts of the
political spectrum, but we are both *Americans*, and we all do have a
right to dissent. i even said here we are trying to "install democracy"
in a far-away land, and what the heck are we seeing here???
that was sort of the end of it -- i said that if Mayor Jerry Brown wants
to salvage any shred of respect for himself had better look into this very
carefully and stop standing by his men in blue so stolidly, because this
is *ridiculous*.
-X
Peace, my friend -- the struggle will be long. but we will win in the end. We will win, because *there is no other direction for the human species and the world*.
-XTG
To: peace-discuss [at] lists.Stanford.EDU
Subject: Report on my call to Oakland PD
i just called 510-238-3365 and talked for a while to OPD public affairs
officer Danielle Ashford, gist of it was this:
She told me that they *are* going to be doing an internal investigation
and look into what happened, and the policies. i said i would be watching
this very carefully.
i think it *IS VERY IMPORTANT* that as many people as possible call and
keep this pressure on.
------------- More details, if you want to read them:
She was quite nice and polite throughout, and though very sharp at times,
i was also polite throughout, and i started the conversation asking for
where i could find info on what happened yest. she said she could answer
q's, so i said ok, why did cops fired on unarmed and peaceful protesters?
she then gave me the line saying that when the cops gave the dispersal
order, most people dispersed, and a few stayed behind. (i forgot to
mention that from what i read, few (if any) people heard a dispersal
order). i then said what is *that* about, that the people who remained
behind simply got fired on?? (and she said again that a full report would
be done).
she kept emphasizing that they were "non-lethal" weapons -- i said great,
what if someone got hit in the eye and blinded, then what?
even *before* that point -- you SIMPLY DO NOT ATTACK IN ANY WAY PEOPLE WHO
ARE NOT FIGHTING YOU. that is against various Geneva Conventions even.
i remember this from Seattle times, and how the cops moved in to attack to
disperse (with batons and pepper spray mostly) vs. the (relatively
reasonable) way the SF cops have dealt with protesters they want to
remove the last few weeks, by arresting them and taking them away. that
is what's *supposed* to happen.
then i said yes, i'd heard the *allegations* that someone threw a bottle
-- how can i believe that without seeing evidence? i will not even take
protesters' words for anything -- but i've *seen* the pictures and video
(from Indybay) of people being shot at (and if anyone has seen the photos
of the full body armor the cops came in with, they obviously were itching
for a fight like that).
where is *their* video?
and even then, how do i know it was a protester, vs. someone from the
sidelines not involved?
and -- was any cop even hit at all, let alone injured, if this happened?
this defense is paper-thin and facetious (and of course some of the SF
cops had things thrown at them from the crowds -- they weren't on
hair-trigger alert to go rampaging on the protesters).
i said that that could have been *ME* in that protest group, and i do not
*ever* think it's a good idea to throw things at the police lines, nor
have i ever, but i could have been shot at like that!
(in fact -- one of the 3 people who went to this from Stanford *was* shot
at while running, and luckily wasn't hurt, but it broke the cellphone in
her back pocket (think there's a good chance the OPD will reimburse her
for it??? not.) )
i said that she (Officer Ashford) and i may be from different parts of the
political spectrum, but we are both *Americans*, and we all do have a
right to dissent. i even said here we are trying to "install democracy"
in a far-away land, and what the heck are we seeing here???
that was sort of the end of it -- i said that if Mayor Jerry Brown wants
to salvage any shred of respect for himself had better look into this very
carefully and stop standing by his men in blue so stolidly, because this
is *ridiculous*.
-X
Not to take away anything from the painful experiences people had at the protests on Monday... but really. This kind of brutality happens to people of color in Oakland and places around the country EVERY DAY. This is not news, this is not a sudden surprise, this is not just a novel development in Ashcroft's America.
This is EVERYDAY LIFE FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR who don't suddenly encounter it at a civil disobedience protest. They get it everyday in their streets and neighborhoods.
This is EVERYDAY LIFE FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR who don't suddenly encounter it at a civil disobedience protest. They get it everyday in their streets and neighborhoods.
My experience was pretty similar (as might be expected, since we were in jail together). Below is a letter to the editor I wrote and sent to various newspapers. I don't think any of them printed it.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
In response to your article "Antiwar Protest Turns
Violent", I have to say that the conduct of the police
was reprehensible. I was among those picketing at the
APL and Stevedoring Services of America (SSA)
terminals in Oakland on Monday. Our intention was to
temporarily shut down the operations of these
companies to draw attention to the fact that they are
among the many that are using this war as an
opportunity for profit. While our action did
accomplish this goal, it also drew some unfortunate
attention from the Oakland Police Department, which
reacted with what can only be characterized as
excessive force. Dozens of protesters, as well as many
innocent bystanders, were injured by police-fired
projectiles and explosives or run down by motorcycles
as they were trying to disperse.
I witnessed no aggressive action on the part of any
of the protesters that would warrant such a reaction.
Indeed, by all accounts, including the Oakland Police,
the protesters were mostly peaceful. No one I talked
to had seen any agitators target police. However, even
if there were, it is not acceptable for the police to
attack citizens exercising their First Amendment
rights. The police should be able to deal with
situations where there _might_ be a small group of
troublemakers without escalating the situation and
causing injury and chaos. It is the duty of the police
to uphold the law, not to punish those who are within
it. As the decision to allow force had to come from
above, Mayor Jerry Brown and Police Chief Word need to be held accountable along with those officers who
pulled the triggers.
Dana Engen
SF, CA
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
In response to your article "Antiwar Protest Turns
Violent", I have to say that the conduct of the police
was reprehensible. I was among those picketing at the
APL and Stevedoring Services of America (SSA)
terminals in Oakland on Monday. Our intention was to
temporarily shut down the operations of these
companies to draw attention to the fact that they are
among the many that are using this war as an
opportunity for profit. While our action did
accomplish this goal, it also drew some unfortunate
attention from the Oakland Police Department, which
reacted with what can only be characterized as
excessive force. Dozens of protesters, as well as many
innocent bystanders, were injured by police-fired
projectiles and explosives or run down by motorcycles
as they were trying to disperse.
I witnessed no aggressive action on the part of any
of the protesters that would warrant such a reaction.
Indeed, by all accounts, including the Oakland Police,
the protesters were mostly peaceful. No one I talked
to had seen any agitators target police. However, even
if there were, it is not acceptable for the police to
attack citizens exercising their First Amendment
rights. The police should be able to deal with
situations where there _might_ be a small group of
troublemakers without escalating the situation and
causing injury and chaos. It is the duty of the police
to uphold the law, not to punish those who are within
it. As the decision to allow force had to come from
above, Mayor Jerry Brown and Police Chief Word need to be held accountable along with those officers who
pulled the triggers.
Dana Engen
SF, CA
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