Five arrested, dozens cited in Oakland protest

Police arrested five people and cited 47 during a protest in Oakland Saturday, police said today.

Police said the protesters gathered at about 7 p.m. in Frank Ogawa Plaza at 14th Street and Broadway for a protest that organizers did not have a permit for.

Police started talking with the protesters who told police they were going to march in the street after sunset and disrupt traffic, according to police.

About 130 people started marching on Broadway at about 8 p.m. and police eased the march into one lane of the road and the sidewalk, police said. At about 8:15 p.m., officers used a public address system to tell the protesters that marching in the street was not allowed.

According to police, protesters were told to move onto the sidewalk or they could be either cited and/or arrested.

Police said the protesters marched to Washington and Third streets where police set up a line and told the protesters to turn around and march north on Washington Street; however, the protesters tried to force their way through the police line by linking arms and walking into the line of officers.

Officers deployed a deterrent behind them to keep the protesters from continuing to walk into them or assault them, according to police. The deterrent was not deployed into the crowd of protesters, police said.

Authorities declared the protest unlawful at this point and gave the first of a series of orders to disperse, police said. Police set up a perimeter and cited about 40 to 50 protesters who did not disperse or stayed in the road.

Police said no was injured in the protest and no property was damaged.

No protests were occurring in the city as of about 12:40 a.m. this morning, according to police.

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