Video shows Oakland protesters’ Grinch moment

A witness with a camera captured a bizarre, Christmas-day attack by police-brutality protesters on a giant Christmas tree that was on display in Oakland’s Jack London Square.

The ravaging — seen above in a KTVU-TV report — left ornaments broken and lights strewn on the ground. Nearby, vandals also smashed windows at a Beverages and More outlet.

A short video shows people tugging at a long string of lights on the Christmas tree and pulling ornaments off the tree and throwing them at the ground. The 55-foot, 7,000-pound white fir tree was adorned with 5,000 white lights and 600 ornaments.

Dozens of protesters came out for the holiday march, which was dubbed “No Time Off.” Thursday night’s rally was the latest in a series of Bay Area demonstrations in response to decisions by grand juries in New York and Missouri to not indict white officers who killed unarmed black men.

Many protesters have decried acts of destruction, saying they are counterproductive.

Hamed Aleaziz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: haleaziz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @haleaziz

Yellow police tape surrounds broken ornaments piled under the Christmas tree at Jack London Square in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 26, 2014 after vandals smashed storefront windows and damaged the holiday display on Christmas night. less Yellow police tape surrounds broken ornaments piled under the Christmas tree at Jack London Square in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 26, 2014 after vandals smashed storefront windows and damaged the holiday ... more Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 25 Caption Close Video shows Oakland protesters’ Grinch moment 1 / 25 Back to Gallery



