Police Arrest 300 in Oakland Protest

Police in riot gear clashed repeatedly with Occupy Oakland protesters Saturday, firing tear gas and bean bag projectiles to try to disperse the demonstrators. At least three officers and one protester were injured in what was the most violent anti-Wall Street protest Oakland has seen since November, when police forcefully dismantled an Occupy encampment, reports the Associated Press, which cites a police official saying that around 300 people were arrested.

The clashes with police flared up Saturday afternoon, when protesters tried to seize a long-closed convention center “as their movement’s new home,” notes the San Francisco Chronicle. The demonstrators disrupted traffic throughout the afternoon as their numbers grew to anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 people. The day of protest began in an “upbeat, even festive mood,” notes the Chronicle. But that quickly changed when demonstrators tried to temporarily occupy City Hall and a YMCA, reports the Oakland Tribune. Police in riot gear battled with protesters who threw “bottles, metal pipe, rocks, spray cans, improvised explosive devices, and burning flares,” according to the Oakland Police Department.

At one point, protesters broke into City Hall, and brought out at least two American flags, which they quickly burned. A clearly frustrated Mayor Jean Quan asked the movement to “stop using Oakland as its playground.” She added that taking a look at how things unfolded Saturday, “it’s almost like they are begging for attention and hoping that the police will make an error.” Although Quan had previously criticized the police for its heavy-handed tactics, “she seemed to have changed her tune” Saturday, writes the AP.

Meanwhile, the National Park Service said Friday that Occupy protesters would be barred from camping in two parks they have been living in since October in Washington, D.C. “That order, which takes effect Monday, was seen as a blow to one of the highest-profile chapters of the movement,” reports Reuters.