Oakland police have strategy in place for protest

Wasif Chudhary

OAKLAND, Calif. — Occupy Oakland protesters took to the streets Saturday night, exactly one week after a rally turned chaotic leading to hundreds of protesters being arrested and a mass break-in of City Hall.
A group of about 70 Occupy protesters began marching around 9 p.m. from City Hall down Broadway en route to police headquarters, burning an American flag as they set out.
A few blocks later, a line of police blocked their path and the protesters veered from their course on Broadway and began a winding path through city streets that took them more than two miles through Chinatown, again past City Hall, into the uptown district and along so-call auto row, marked by numerous dealerships.
Following close behind was a caravan of police cars and vans. There have been no signs of violence.
They're protesting what they claim was abuse at the hands of officers during last Saturday's protest that peaked with rock and bottle throwing from protesters and volleys of tear gas in response from the police.
Police said earlier that they have a strategy in place in the event the protest gets out of hand.
Without revealing details, spokeswoman Johnna Watson warned that criminal activity, including vandalism and violence, will not be tolerated by officers.
Before last week's troubles, demonstrators had been protesting outside the department's headquarters on previous Saturday nights.
Those demonstrations were relatively tame compared to last Saturday, with some minor vandalism reported and a handful of protesters being arrested.
Protesters say they were trying to take over a vacant city-owned convention center. Scores were later arrested in and around a YMCA after police said protesters had ignored orders to disperse. Occupiers argue that they were never warned.
"There was no prior announcements whatsoever until after they rushed in and scared us into the YMCA," said Shon Kae, an Occupy Oakland spokesman. "The notice was that we were under arrest for failure to disperse. That we heard loud and clear."
The protest culminated in a break-in of City Hall that left glass cases smashed, graffiti spray-painted on the walls, and finally, an American flag burning. More than 400 people were arrested and at least three officers and one protester were injured. A judge later issued stay away orders on 12 protesters.
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, herself a former civil rights activist, said that the protesters had used a crowbar to pry the main entrance of City Hall open. Protesters say the doors were unlocked.
The mayor said she has grown tired of the protesters using the city as its "playground."