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Four arrested in peaceful Oakland protests

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Four people were arrested in Oakland on Sunday night after a second consecutive day of protests over alleged police brutality and a new policy to force protesters out of streets and onto sidewalks.

About 150 people gathered Sunday near 14th Street and Broadway and marched several blocks before the event ended. Another small group of people started a new protest afterward. There were no reports of violence of property damage.

Four people were arrested for breaking the city’s law banning unpermitted night protests. Nineteen others were cited.

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Earlier this month, protesters damaged businesses in the city’s automobile dealership district. Businesses also sustained heavy damage during protests arising from the deaths of unarmed black men in police custody in Ferguson, Mo., and elsewhere over the last two years.

Demonstrators have criticized the new policy barring them from Oakland streets.

“It’s unfortunate that now we have to divert our attention away from the very pressing crisis of the black community, which is the stealing of our lives,” said Cat Brooks. “It’s a very unfortunate distraction.”

Another protester, Katie Loncke of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, referred to the crackdown as “the shocking institution of a curfew on free speech.”

“This is both an extension of the work around the Black Lives Matter movement and concerns around racist policing. It happens to be pushing back against this escalation and the aggression of police in Oakland in responding to nonviolent protests,” she said.

Twitter: @byjsong

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