Downtown Oakland bracing for another protest

[Joanne98]

Source: SFC


Oakland -- Many downtown Oakland employees left work early today in anticipation of a 4 p.m. rally to protest the New Year's Day killing of a Hayward man by a BART police officer.

Police Chief Wayne Tucker said every officer in the city's police department is available to monitor what is expected to be mostly a peaceful rally, now that former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle has been arrested in connection with the killing of 22-year-old Oscar Grant of Hayward.

The department is prepared in the event the rally and march erupts into violence and vandalism as it did a week ago, Tucker said.

"We have plenty of staff," Tucker said, noting that Alameda County Sheriff's Department is assisting Oakland police with monitoring the protest. "We're hoping for the best, but we've planned for the element that has another agenda."

City officials are closing 14th Street east of Broadway to Oak Street. The rally will begin at City Hall at 14th and Broadway and proceed to the Alameda County Administration Building on Oak between 12th and 13th streets, near Lake Merritt. Streets in the vicinity of the county building will also be closed while demonstrators hold a rally there, before they are expected to march back to City Hall.




Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/14/BAK115ADNQ.DTL

[bluestateguy]

1. The BART police department should be dissolved

A separate police force for the subway system is silly and un-necesary.

[tonycinla]

2. Are you sure?

Have you ever rode MARTA in Atlanta?

[Greyhound]

3. Yes, why? n/t