Oakland, CA
"Mock" military assault protested
By
Andrew Nye
San Francisco
To protest "Operation Sea Dragon," young people in Oakland,
Calif., led a series of March actions against the U.S
military's "mock invasion" of Northern California.
"Operation Sea Dragon" is a U.S. Navy and Marine exercise
designed to give the military "hands on" training for urban
warfare within U.S. borders. The week-long military training
ended March 21.
On the afternoon of March 16, a group of 22 Oakland youth
activists gathered at City Hall to demand a meeting with Mayor
Jerry Brown. The group consisted primarily of Latino youths
from local high schools and colleges.
Gabriel Hernandez, a longtime leader in the Chicano
Moratorium and an organizer for Hotel and Restaurant Local
2850, was also present. The youth activists wanted to let Brown
know that the U.S. military is not welcome in Oakland.
After being denied a meeting with Brown, the youths took
over one of the mayor's inner offices. Less than 20 minutes
later, the Oakland police busted down the office doors and
immediately began spraying the protesters with mace.
Though no one resisted arrest, police brutally threw the
protesters to the floor, handcuffed them, and held them down
with knees to their backs and necks.
Later that evening, around 200 young people packed into a
meeting of the City Council to voice their outrage. Latino
youths approached the council platform and consistently
demanded both that the military be removed and that police drop
charges against the 22.
They also demanded that the council begin repairing
Oakland's impoverished school system.
After the council chairperson refused to hear more speakers,
protesters marched to the police station and rallied in support
of the 22 arrested activists. The takeover of Brown's office
and the rallies that followed received national news
coverage.
The Oakland police are trying to cover up their own
misconduct with bogus accusations and charges against the 22
protesters. They are claiming that some of the protesters were
"unruly" and "grappled" with the police. Warrior Woman, a
community leader and mentor to the Latino youths, is being
charged with assaulting a police officer.
The cops deny they used mace. Instead, the police say a can
of mace fell on the floor. They claim Warrior Woman grabbed the
can and sprayed "everywhere."
Despite brutal police harassment and misconduct, the Latino
youths continued to lead protests throughout the week. They
held rallies outside the city courthouse on March 17 and 18. On
March 19, they led a march from City Hall to Jack London Square
where the Marines were holding promotional ceremonies and
displaying the newest military technology.
Disrupting the ceremony with loud chants, the young people
made it clear they don't think the U.S. military, the Oakland
police and Mayor Jerry Brown protect or serve the interests of
Oakland's people.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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