Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, a Democrat and former aide to Gov. Jerry Brown, has implemented a new policy for protesters who have held the city hostage in a slew of “Black Lives Matter” demonstrations over the past few months: No protesting allowed in the streets–only on the sidewalks.
Approximately 150 people took to the streets on Sunday night for a second consecutive day of protests over Mayor Schaaf’s new policy, in addition to the usual complaints over alleged police brutality. Four people were arrested, and 19 people were cited, for breaking the city’s law banning un-permitted night protests, according to the Los Angeles Times.
March continues with police following behind, as if @LibbySchaaf never declared protest curfew. #SayHerName #Oakland pic.twitter.com/5HEnwEpp0q
— Not Frantz Fanon (@violentfanon) May 24, 2015
The policy was implemented following May Day protests that resulted in vandalism and damage to businesses in Oakland’s automobile dealership district, better known as Auto Row.
Protester Katie Loncke of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship told the Times that the crackdown was “the shocking institution of a curfew on free speech.”
People are gathering at Oscar Grant Plaza in downtown Oakland for a nighttime protest in response to Mayor Shaaf’s ban on protests
— Davey D (@mrdaveyd) May 24, 2015
Cat Brooks, who organized the weekend’s rally, said it was unjust for the mayor to lump the group of vandals with the peaceful protesters. “You can’t run roughshod over people because they’re protesting your oppression. You can’t push us off the streets,” she said in an interview with Inside Bay Area.
Photo: File
Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter @AdelleNaz
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