Obama-Endorsed Occupiers Burn American Flag, Attack Police, 200 Arrested

This is the president's sanctioned movement -- and you still don't believe we are under attack from within?

Day of clashes at Occupy Oakland ends with at least 200 arrests
Inside Bay Area News (Hat tip Jack)

OAKLAND -- Occupy Oakland protesters broke into City Hall, stole an American flag from the City Council chamber and set it on fire Saturday night, punctuating a wild day in which police deployed tear gas, arrested more than 200 marchers and dodged hurling objects.

Demonstrators spent the day trying to break into a convention center and temporarily occupying City Hall and a YMCA, all the while snaking around lines of riot-clad police periodically shooting bean bag projectiles, among other uses of nonlethal force.

Saturday marked the first major clashes between protesters and police since November and left three officers with minor injuries, as protesters threw bottles, metal pipes, rocks, spray cans and "improvised explosive devices," police said.

Late Saturday, paramedics wheeled a pregnant protester away from Frank H. Ogawa Plaza after witnesses said she was hit in the kidney by a police baton. She yelled: "Police did this to me!"

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan spoke moments after the City Hall invasion, saying the city would ask for "stay away" orders against many of the protesters who have repeatedly been arrested in Oakland.

"This particular faction of Occupy ... they're very violent and I'm going to be asking for a lot more mutual aid," Quan said, adding that the weekly marches prevent the city's police force from patrolling other parts of Oakland. "They are hurting the neighborhoods by continuing to do this on Saturday nights."

police had to ignore 200 lower priority calls for service Saturday night, more than the normal 60 because resources were tied up with the Occupy protests, Sgt. Christopher Bolton said.

The first large skirmish of the day took place on the front steps of the Oakland Museum of California. Police arrested 19 marchers during that confrontation.

Later, about 100 protesters were arrested after police ordered them to disperse at the YMCA on Broadway, police said.

The rest of the marchers headed to City Hall, broke into the building and left with at least two American flags, which were quickly burned. Police regained control of the building, arrested more and guarded the trashed lobby.

The events followed a week where Occupy Oakland organizers announced plans to take over a vacant building to create the movement's headquarters, with plans for a two-day party. Police and city officials vowed not to allow it.

In what has become a weekly march, about 250 protesters gathered around noon at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza for a rally. At 1:30 p.m., the group began marching with a crowd of about 450 protesters. Forty-five minutes later, some of the marchers entered the campus of Laney College, city officials said.

APs:Police used tear gas and “flash” grenades Saturday to break up hundreds of Occupy protesters after some demonstrators started throwing rocks and flares at officers and tearing down fencing.

Three officers were hurt and 19 people were arrested, the Oakland Police Department said in a release. No details on the officers’ injuries were released.

Police said the group started assembling at a downtown plaza Saturday morning, with demonstrators threatening to take over the vacant Henry Kaiser Convention Center. The group then marched through the streets, disrupting traffic.

The crowd grew as the day wore on, with afternoon estimates ranging from about 1,000 to 2,000 people.

The protesters walked to the vacant convention center, where some started tearing down perimeter fencing and “destroying construction equipment,” the release said.

Police said they issued a dispersal order and used smoke and tear gas after some protesters pelted them with bottles, rocks, burning flares and other objects.

… Most of the arrests were made when protesters ignored orders to leave and assaulted officers, the release said. An hour later, the bulk of the crowd had left the convention center and headed back downtown.

Comments

[juniper]

Who cares if they run rampage?? the good ole tax-payers will pick up the tab, as usual!!

[aprilnovember811]

When does Bari's co-conspirator Ayers start setting bombs? They're in this together. Right, Bari'?

[Cate]

I am SICK of their crap! These people are nothing but thugs, and are the bottom feeders of our society. In about a year, I'd love to see the stats on how many of these whackjobs are dead from drug overdoses, murdered from drug deals gone wrong, prostitution deals gone wrong, AIDs, etc. Truly, the BOTTOM FEEDERS. Their parents must be so very proud.

[Tom Billesley]

"Commune Move In"? It's pretty obvious where they fit into the political spectrum,.

[Cheryl S.]

Oakland, like San Francisco is so sickening liberal. What you see are "The Fruits" of their ideology.
Carried to its natural end, liberal thinking breed anarchists. Period.
Don't like what's happening in your city Oakland? Well, now you have to learn to live with the consequences because once "this" Pandora is out of her box, she's never going back in.

[Asha]

These anti-American flag burning thugs should be charged with treason! What a travesty!

[Richard]

The occupy movement is one reason I was hoping for a cold and wet winter.

[Auntie Izlam]

If you are sick of anything you should be sick of the puppet master in the white house. Open your eyes.

[Bruce O'H.]

Wait till next summer. Wait till the Republican Convention. Wait till November. I suspect we are in for serious disturbances from the Left. All with the approval of the Party in power...

[Bradford T. Hall]

I really wish Atlas Shrugs could do more to expose the hatred the Obama administration has for America. Not for the people, for the IDEA of America. Has anyone here been keeping up on the joint military/civilian policing "training exercises taking place all over the USA? They're not ramping up (NDAA2011, PDD51, VIPR teams, SOPA, NAU, 100,000 troops for civilian policing) for fun. This country won't be recognizable in 11 months. More info? deeprecording@yahoo.com

[infidel4life]

These thugs should be tear-gassed every time they gather. Gas, tasers, bean bags, rubber bullets, whatever it takes. And if that doesn't work send in the riot police and start busting heads. It's the only thing they will understand.

[Linda]

like many of today's morons; they trash their own home. WHY? Because no one taught them to appreciate what they have.

[Vera]

In Israel for demonstrators like those zombies they have invented special vehicles with computer controlled guns shooting the shit and skunk's juice based chemically composed liquid substance. The beauty of this stuff is that stink can't be eliminated by any detergents for the very long time. I believe that only anti-Semitic policies of hussein in-chief prevent America from buying those vehicles from Israel with excellent opportunity for immediate application in Oakland and everywhere else where those cretins could show up..

[karl anglin]

The OWS people do not get that it is
the US Constuition that gives
them the right to protest to
begin with. Sad, misguided
and confused.

[Police jobs]

The police officers should at all times carry the welfare of it's dominion's citizen and promote common good. In order for them to practice this manner, they should have to undergo proper training, from physical to their attitude.