Outrage boils over in Friday night Oakland protests

The Oakland Police Department Saturday morning released preliminary information on arrests and other incidents related to protests Friday night that turned destructive in and around downtown Oakland.

Oakland police officers arrested 18 people and outside agencies arrested four people.

The police department reported there were 60 suspected looters detained for further investigation.

Six Oakland police officers were injured and seven officers from outside agencies were injured during the demonstrations.

One person was cited, and one vehicle was towed.

After the protests turned destructive Friday night and into Saturday morning, Oakland Interim Police Chief Susan Manheimer released a statement via the police department’s Twitter account pleading with demonstrators to remain peaceful and respectful.

Protests and demonstrations have erupted across the country in recent days following the death of George Floyd while he was in police custody in Minneapolis on Monday.

Demonstrations in Oakland Friday night turned destructive as protestors smashed windows, looted downtown businesses and vandalized property.

Manheimer said:

“They started out peaceful, and we stood with our community here in the city of Oakland to provide safe spaces and respectful spaces for demonstrators. … What we saw later on in the evening turned violent and disruptive.”

Manheimer called on demonstrators to respect the memory of Floyd and to be respectful of downtown businesses, which have been hit hard in recent months due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Oakland police reported Friday night several officers were injured when demonstrators threw projectiles.

As Friday night wore on, police deemed some of the demonstrations as unlawful.

Manheimer said:

“We saw damage and destruction in the city. … We will be back at it tomorrow, we stand with our community, and we want to ensure that everyone who comes to the city of Oakland is peaceful and respectful.”

Floyd, a black man, died after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on Floyd’s neck as Floyd was handcuffed and lying facedown on the ground.

Chauvin and three other arresting officers involved in the incident were fired the next day, and on Friday, Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Oakland police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said in an email the police department is continuing to collect information related to the demonstrations Friday.

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