While May Day rallies around the Bay unfolded peacefully with speeches and car caravans to honor workers’ rights and the labor movement, an anti-police demonstration in downtown Oakland Saturday night grew tense, resulting in the arrests of multiple people in connection with assaulting police officers and injuring a TV news employee.
Oakland police tweeted just after 9 p.m. that one person was arrested in connection with the assault on the officer that took place at 2nd and Castro streets, near Jack London Square. No further details were released about the alleged assault or the person arrested.
In connection to tonight’s demonstrations, the Oakland Police Department arrested a 2nd individual for an assault on an officer at 10th Street and Castro Street.
— Oakland Police Dept. (@oaklandpoliceca) May 2, 2021
Just after 10 p.m. police announced they had arrested the driver of a silver BMW that crashed into a KPIX-Channel 5 news van at 14th and Jefferson streets. The BMW’s driver ran from the scene, but officers located the driver a block away and made an arrest. The driver of the news van was injured and transported to a local hospital. Information about the injured driver’s condition was not available as of late Saturday night.
Oakland Police arrest driver of the Silver BMW that crashed into a News Van (KPIX-Channel 5) at 14th and Jefferson. The driver ran from the scene, OPD officers were able to arrest the driver a block away. Driver of the News Van enroute to local hospital. pic.twitter.com/fPCETgECvw
— Oakland Police Dept. (@oaklandpoliceca) May 2, 2021
Then, shortly after 10:30 p.m., police tweeted that they had arrested an unspecified number of individuals for assaulting officers.
Oakland Police are making arrests individuals for assaulting officers with various items. pic.twitter.com/1z1hYL8ZYo
— Oakland Police Dept. (@oaklandpoliceca) May 2, 2021
Social media posts Saturday night showed a large police presence, starting near Jack London Square and then at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza near Oakland City Hall, which activists call Oscar Grant Plaza.
A group, calling to “abolish the police,” had invited people to join a demonstration to start at Ogawa Plaza at 8 p.m.
This was several hours after a coalition of labor and other activist groups led a car caravan through downtown Oakland to promote their support of workers’ rights and racial justice. The caravan stopped outside Whole Foods Market where Hashid Kasama, an employee for the grocery-delivery service Instacart, spoke in favor of the The Pro Act, which would provide protections to workers trying to organize, according to a social media post.
Hashid Kasama, who works for instacart, speaks at Oakland’s May Day rally outside of Whole Foods in support of The Pro Act, which would give gig workers more collective bargaining rights pic.twitter.com/s3QnaNoMAa
— Zack Haber (@ZZZZZZZZZZZack) May 1, 2021
Across the bay in San Francisco, Angela Davis and other activists spoke in front of rally of more than 1,000 people at Civic Center in honor of May Day, or International Workers’ Day, as it’s known worldwide. In San Jose, there was a march along Santa Clara Street to City Hall.
Angela Davis speaks at May Day rally in San Francisco #PassThePROAct #InternationalWorkersDay #FreeMumia “Labor united will never be defeated” pic.twitter.com/CbXe4XTayY
— 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 (@renepakmorrison) May 1, 2021
#MayDay March SF happening on Market St., estimated 2,000 union workers demanding labor protections & the passage of legislation to help workers. pic.twitter.com/iBOUWwCv08
— Cornell Barnard (@CornellBarnard) May 1, 2021
The City of Oakland had alerted the public earlier this week that there would be a large police presence downtown Saturday night, out of concern that people could be planning to cause property damage or stoke violence.
“Like many cities across the country, the City of Oakland is aware of several planned peaceful events, which the city welcomes and will support,” the letter said.
“In anticipation of this Saturday’s events, the Oakland Police Department will have more officers ready for deployment,” the letter continued. “OPD is prepared to facilitate peaceful demonstrations and create safe places and spaces for first amendment rights. The department will take enforcement action for those who participate in violence against others, damage of property, and destruction.”