Downtown Oakland - Last Night

[Deborah Richman]

So last night was pretty horrible, we staved off a full riot but there's no doubt that folks were not dealing with the BART murder in a peaceful manner.

I kept watching that video about the folks shaking the OPD cop car and the dumpster flames nearby. There needs to be better ways to express frustrations!

There was a Mayor Dellums interview, where he said OPD will be investigating the murder and he asked folks to be peaceful. He said we have to communicate and convey the investigation process.

What do you think??

[Andy K]

The Riot is totally counter productive. From what I have read, sounds like a bunch of agitators got things going - as is usually the case. Most of the victims appear to be people of color. What a waste, and a distraction from a terrible tragedy.

[Deborah Richman]

Check out this NPR interview with a shop-keeper and also a SF Chronicle reporter.

I like hearing from the bewildered shop-keeper, who runs a salon called Creative African Braids. She watched the Wednesday hoodlums and even asked them why they were breaking her door and windows. These were wild, agitated guys who just cursed and moved on.

Looks like things are cooled down now. I like the initiative to help ALL the storekeepers who incurred damage - by giving them some business. On Oakland Living, they ask for names of stores. Check the comments section.

I'm going to drive there over the weekend, and either eat at Pho or try to buy something at one of these places. The main area hit is 17th between Franklin/Webster - see South of Broadway biz listings here.

[Deborah Richman]

Okay, today Jerry Brown swooped in...white knight in shining armor? He wants to speed up the Alameda County DA's investigation and says two weeks is too long. As State AG, he's appointed some (unnamed) prosecutor to monitor and push things along. While this is his job, it feels like Jerry's got to pay some special attention given his former-mayor status. Read Tribune Article here.

[Andy K]

I think that the public officials have taken way to long to respond to this. I NYC when the cops sent 50+ bullets into the car of a groom leaving a bachelor party killing him (last year?), Bloomberg was front and center saying that the event disturbed him. Our elected officials were silent for too long, giving time for people to agitate. They left a void for others to fill.

Still, no excuse for starting a riot. Any word on if the 100+ people that were arrested have been charged?

[Deborah Richman]

Haven't heard about the folks rounded up from the riot yet.

Here's the best ''on the street" video that I could find.

You see people walking down the street, a banner or two. Then things pick up as folks attack that one police car and set the dumpster contents on fire.

From this perspective, the Oakland riot looks like some movie shoot of a riot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeDjJf02fac

[Mr M]

I think that over-focusing on the riots changes the conversation from the bigger outrage -- a BART cop shooting a man in the head who was in custody. A small group of provocateurs were involved in turning a peaceful protest ugly. It is indeed counter-productive, should and has been discouraged, but my outrage is with BART and the officer that shot that kid in the head while he was handcuffed and under control on the ground.