Oakland Police attack protestors on 880 freeway after education protest

Well, did you honestly think that the cops don't have the right to do that?

Do you think that this person's civil rights are being abused because the bandanna is being removed?

Talk about being over sensitive to a situation.. "Look that fascist is taking off a bandanna!!!"

The police have no business touching anyone who is no physical threat, and that includes pulling off bandanas. SUE THE POLICE AND THEIR EMPLOYER, whichever city or state agency issues their paycheck. THIS IS CLEARLY POLICE BRUTALITY. These were unarmed, peaceful protesters exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech, freedom of assembly and to petition for redress of grievances. THE STINKING COPS TOOK AN OATH TO UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION AND ALL AMENDMENTS. They clearly committed perjury in tihs picture for all the world to see. THE POLICE ARE ARMED GANGS WHOSE ONLY REASON TO EXIST IS TO TERRORIZE THE WORKINGCLASS. There was no need for any police at all, much less armed thugs ready and able to literally kill everyone in sight. MONEY FOR EDUCATION, NOT FOR POLICE. ABOLISH THE POLICE, THE MILITARY AND THE DEATH PENALTY.

I support this action, but how can you say these protesters were “not a threat.” What if they caused a pile-up car crash on the highway? What if there was an ambulance trying to get through? I don’t have any love for the cops, but most people would laugh at the idea of calling a bunch of masked-up anarchists mobbing the highway “not a threat.” Get out of your bubble.

In the sixth image down, do you see the woman in sunglasses standing on the right, holding her hand out? She had her elbow fractured by a police baton immediately after these pictures were taken. Does she look like a threat to those cops? Does she look like she's resisting arrest?

Devil's advocate, none of those things were happening. Ambulances generally don't take the freeway during rush hour, and if one needed to get through it could have taken the median lane. We definitely wouldn't have blocked it. It didn't cause a pile up because cars have brakes, and its tough not to notice 150 people entering a freeway. Also, it wasn't just anarchists. There were high school students, college students, graduate students, school teachers, a UCB professor, people of all different ethnicities, nationalities, genders, and political orientations. Yeah, there were a few anarchists on hand, but calling the arrestees "a bunch of masked anarchists" is an blatant oversimplification. I'd kindly suggest you go jump in a lake.

Re: "Duh's" comment: talk about being under sensitive to a situation! A KID FELL OFF THE FREEWAY. THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT A COP PUSHED HIM OFF. A GIRL GOT HER ELBOW BROKEN. PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING DOWN WITH THEIR HANDS UP WERE CLUBBED. Your argument is a non-sequitur within the larger context of police violence at this action. You should go jump in a lake too.

Thank you so much for posting these! They help a lot in determining who attacked one of our djs. Please, if you can, submit your photos of the incident in their original form to the National Lawyers Guild, they are handling much of the legal side of this.

It's true that the right of assembly doesn't cover disruptive acts. But I also believe in the right of resistance, which is implicit in the US Constitution. While it's a shame that people were stuck in traffic, there are serious issues at stake in the cuts. The right to go shooting down the freeway at 65 is not the supreme realization of human freedom.

I condemm the cop violence. I condemm the Police charge that at the very least contributed to the very serious injury of the Skyline High student . Hopefully all the charges will be dropped but if not i will try to attend the hearings in Solidarity .
BUT It was a foolish action . One can make the argument that Freeway blockades can sometimes be a acceptable tactic to dramatize a crisis .
If , for example, for weeks before a anticipated US invasion there are widespread calls for '' STOP WORK TO STOP THE WAR'' etc. and a blockade was part of multiple actions on the day of the invasion one can make the case for that action . Though many will still disagree.
But that wasn't the situation on 3/4 . NONE of the motorists (unless they happened to hear a radio report at some point ) had a clue what was causing the long holdup . (And the ones that did weren't exactly supportive .Did any of you happen to see the furious African -American woman on Channel 2 ? '' Mace them, arrest them '' !!! )
There's also the fact that it easily could have led to the death of Francois Zimmay, the previously mentioned Skyline High student . (If that would been a man my age his memorial would probably now be underway ! Talk about the resilantacy of Youth ! )
Another thing that occurred to me is that anarchists are always condemming the ''vanguardism '' of Marxists.
But yet , five , ten ? of you decide to break off from a rally of maybe 3. 000 to take this dangerous , politically dubious action ?
No i don't accept the Stalinist like baiting that many of you are '' FBI agents '' . or some other type of '' Agent Provacteurs ''. Nor do i think that you''ll are some sort of ''White Pied Pipers'' trying to entice Black and Latino kids.
But it was stupid . I was at a unrelated Labor meeting Saturday and NO ONE , neither teachers, bus drivers , Longshore men and women , RN's etc. NO ONE supported your action .
Please think about it .

When i wrote ''five or ten of you ''i should have added ''decided to organize a spilt off of 100 -150 from a rally of 3000 ''
As re to Francois Zimmany i don't mean in any way to imply that any of the organizers are directly responable for his injuries.
But you do bear some political and moral responablity for leading such an stupid ill conceived action .

Being spoon fed by the corporate media coverage of the event, eh? Good for you.

Re the last comment alleging that i was ''spoonfed by the Corporate media ''. Sorry but i was there in downtown Oakland on March 4th .
I attended the dynamic , democratic and diverse rally of maybe 3, 000 (of course it should have been 30, 000 but i will save that discussion for another thread )
And i saw the Anarchist organized group leave the rally and march off to ''do batttle '' .
After reading OEA President Betty Olson-Jones account I have to modify a little what i wrote that no drivers had a clue what was going on .
Apparently some did and a few were even supportive .
Good. i still think though it was a foolish action . But i sincerely hope you''ll won't have to pay for that blunder with serious jail time .