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NEWS & LETTERS, MAY 2003
Oakland cops' brutal attack on dockers, protesters
Oakland, Cal.--Oakland police went on a rampage on April
7 when 500 war protesters gathered at the Port of Oakland to prevent loading of
munitions onto American President Lines cargo ships headed for the Persian Gulf.
Protesters had hoped to form a massive enough picket
line that dockworkers could legitimately refuse to cross the line for safety
reasons. The new ILWU contract does not permit the union to strike over
objections to loading military hardware. But there were no such shipments scheduled for that day.
When demonstrators learned as much, they shifted from blocking trucks and
workers to marching and chanting in large circles. Even so, police closed in and ordered the picketers to
disperse. Clusters of demonstrators that didn't move fast enough were blasted
apart with concussion grenades. They then picked off scattering individuals with
wooden dowels, metal shot beanbags and stingballs. The attacks were repeated as
pickets regrouped and more protesters arrived on scene. Nine longshoremen who
were not participating in the demonstration were among the dozens injured. An hour or so after police had set the tone for the day,
a group of about 50 picketers promptly complied with an order to disperse and
marched clear away from the terminals to assemble at Maritime and 7th Street.
Moments later, 25 motorcycle cops roared up on them while a phalanx of riot
troops let loose its full arsenal on the retreating crowd. This time there had been no warning. Though there was no
panic, even among the injured, one protester saw the assault as an attempt to
"shock and awe" all demonstrators into staying away from the docks. Oakland Police Chief Richard Word corroborated that
police overreaction to the non-threatening contingent was a preemptive strike.
He speculated that if police "had simply waited it out and facilitated
protesters, there could have been thousands, not hundreds, out there; and we
would have been overwhelmed." Police claims that picketers throwing rocks and bottles
precipitated the barrages are not supported by anyone but the police. This is
significant, because every anti-war action for the past several weeks has had
participants only too eager to denounce (usually as "anarchists")
those who ruin the "peace movement" with their penchant for violence. Even TV news failed to provide a smoking gun. In an
effort to back up police, one reporter told viewers to listen for the sound of a
breaking bottle in footage she was about to run. Sure enough you could hear the
sound--but only long after the assault began. Despite shock and awe tactics and preemptive strikes,
the battered activists moved on to the Federal Building and then to City Hall
where they called upon Mayor Jerry Brown to investigate this unprecedented use
of police force. The following night they kept Oakland City Council from
its agenda long enough to force council president Ignacio De La Fuente to leave
the chambers in frustration. Councilmember Jane Brunner took over and scheduled
a special hearing for April 29. --David Mizuno'Oto |
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