As promised, some follow-up and video of arrests at the March 7th Occupy Oakland anti-police march.

Via OccupyOakland:

OPD has been harassing Occupy Oakland since our inception in October, but in the past weeks the number of pointless arrests and daily raids have overwhelmed Occupants as we’ve seen countless friends and loved ones carted away for no reason. To make matters worse, OPD seems to be specifically targeting African American men and people who watch and record OPD activity.

Laleh, who was arrested on the night of the 4th, points out that if authorities can capture individuals who may have other charges against them, they can keep them longer and make their charges more serious, thus disrupting their ability to organize–hence the targeting of African American men. Our brother Khali, arrested on December 16th for trying to reclaim his blanket when cops were closing in, has been held for three weeks and may face life imprisonment under California’s 3 strikes law. Khali has prior felonies and has now been accused of assaulting a peace officer in jail while his psychiatric medication was being withheld; basically, Khali’s third strike results from his attempt to do good work in his community and positively engage in a political movement.

Occupy Oakland media team members Adam and Stephanie are examples of people who were arrested while complying with police orders, but we have a feeling their detainment had nothing to do with “obstructing pathways.”

You can find articles about the numerous arrests made in Oscar Grant Plaza and the ridiculous charges against protestors elsewhere on our site, as well as on occupyoakland.org, hyphenatedrepublic.wordpress.com, occupiedoaktrib.org, bayofrage.com, and other independent news outlets… But you won’t find this information in the mainstream media.

The Anti-Repression/ F-ck the Police march was a direct response to police harassment of Occupy Oakland and the silencing of our free speech. They created this hostile atmosphere, and they are the ones who perpetuate it–a reality we saw replayed tonight when protestors were chased, beaten, and arrested in response to the antics of a couple of people hidden in the crowd.

Please help us spread the word about police repression of Occupy Oakland! This has to stop! Tell your friends and family, and call Mayor Jean Quan, the DA, the city administrator, and Police Chief Howard Jordan to demand a stop to the harassment of activists while others in Oakland require police assistance!