OPD, Protester Communications Not Promising

Lack of Communication Between OPD, Protesters Not Promising
By Liam O’Donoghue

On April 7, community group Pueblo and Direct Action to Stop the War (DASW) will lead a march from Oakland Police Headquarters to the docks to protest alleged war profiteers and multinational shipping companies Stevedoring Services of America and American Presidents Line. Last year’s dock protest resulted in 25 arrests and dozens of injuries when police fired tear gas, stinger grenades and rubber bullets into the non-violent crowd of 700 protesters and ILWU workers and rammed them with motorcycles in what remains the most violent conflict between police and protesters since the dawn of the war. Following a slew of lawsuits and national media attention, Chief Richard Word announced a revision of OPD’s Crowd Control Policy, stressing “We will do everything we can to communicate with protest leaders prior to planned, future protests.” So far, communication regarding April 7 have not been promising.


On March 21, protest organizers Jackie Thomason and Liz Perlman sent a letter detailing their intentions to Chief Word, the City Council, Mayor Jerry Brown and several other city officials. On March 25, Cap. Rod Yee, the commanding officer involved with this and last year’s protest, denied awareness of this letter and said that attempts to reach Pueblo and DASW through the groups' websites by himself, Sgt. Rob Stewart, the lead negotiator, and Council member Jean Quan have been unsuccessful. They refused to disclose which protesters they had tried to reach directly. “That’s impossible,” said Thomason, whose phone number appeared on the letter “I’ve checked my e-mail and my phone messages, and there has been no contact from the police or the City.”


Despite changes in OPD Crowd Control Policy, including suspension of the B.U.M.P. (Basic Utilization of Motorcycle Push) technique, restricted use of bean bag rounds, elimination of the wooden dowel, establishment of police protest liaisons, numbered police helmets (for easy identification), and increased crowd control training, Liz Perlman remains skeptical. “They said the same thing last year,” Perlman said, when informed by The Guardian of Yee’s mention of non-communication. “I can’t believe they put Yee in charge again, but if he wanted to contact us, we’re not hard to find.”


Jack Heyman, a business agent for ILWU and one of the “Oakland 25” facing misdemeanor charges ranging from resisting arrest to creating a public nuisance stemming from last year’s protest is also unconvinced. Heyman, whose case has been postponed until April 22 on a technicality, said, “The Rider’s lawsuit should have been enough to change police accountability procedures, but if they do modify their behavior, it’s only because of the pending litigation against The City.”


Heyman believes that CATIC’s (California Anti-Terrorism Information Center) warning to the OPD regarding possible protester violence prior to last year’s protest contributed to the ensuing brutality. According to Attorney General spokesperson Hallye Jordan, the Criminal Intelligence Bureau, created to facilitate communication between law enforcement groups, has since been restructured, so that non-violent, community pickets no longer fall under the jurisdiction of CATIC. So at least the state no longer views groups whose stated purpose is to “express our legally protected First Amendment right to express opposition to the war,” as terrorists.