One last note: if police wish to be perceived as humans with feelings and compassion, they should understand that riot gear that makes them look less human than Darth Vader doesn’t do much to trigger feelings of sympathy.

Is this some sort of Oakland Reichstag fire?

No, but it’s definitely some sort of Oakland Haymarket Affair.

If it happened, photos could prove it.  If it didn’t, well, you can’t prove a negative — you can’t provide photographic evidence of something that didn’t happen.

Leaving aside the fact that I did state that I didn’t know if it happened here and the obvious fact that it is nearly impossible to show assault in photos (as opposed to battery which is quite easy) and even without looking at a single photo or video, it would require an extreme level of naivety to believe that no threats of violence were hurled at the police from a group as large and diverse as this one. There was an admission of attempted battery mentioned in this very article for goodness sakes: “there were lone crackpots here and there throughout the night tossing a
single bottle or rock…”

Now of course, there is a matter of justification. While I have a hard time believing assault or battery are justified in any peaceful protest, I’m also not against less than peaceful protests if it is for a just cause. I just rather be honest about them and call them what they are.

This has happened and been proven in Canada and The UK at anti-globalization protests. Frankly all of these tactics have been played out before, and there have always been Agent Provocateurs.

A Marine Veteran of the Iraq War is in critical condition after being shot point-blank in the head with a rubber bullet.
Police lobbed a Percussion Grenade at an unconcious woman to keep others from helping her. They had shot her in the head with a tear gas canister or similar fired round.

The City told them to shut the fuck up and go home.
This was punishment for standing up and continuing to speak Truth to Power after they no longer “permit” it.

Is this some sort of Oakland Reichstag fire.

Oakland has been a Bay Area Reichstag Fire for some decades now.
“Why do we need to do this?”
“Because……………..Oakland!”
“Oh. Okay.”

Maybe not the best idea. That bottle-thrower could be an undercover cop, and if you surround him he’ll be calling for backup. Even if he’s just an angry rock-throwing communarchist, starting a fight won’t look good to a bunch of scared police.

Shouting at them and calling attention to them, sure. Worked in Quebec.

I have also seen blog posts like this one claim that no such group existed and that the police did it without justification, even though I personally watched it happen.

Now I’m not saying that is what happened here and I’m not saying the police force through the US is made up of boy scouts, but given that the police are controlled by the *city* and the US federal government has nothing to do with them, I find it hard to paint the entire United States, which is physically as big as Europe and quite diverse, with a such a broad stroke.

Emphasis mine.  You might not be saying it but you are strongly implying it. 

If it happened, photos could prove it.  If it didn’t, well, you can’t prove a negative — you can’t provide photographic evidence of something that didn’t happen.

Find the photos.  It’s that simple.

So has Governor Moonbeam weighed in on all of this yet? He should be doing something about this. Let’s hope things are handled better tonight up there.

Oakland police deliberately throwing a grenade into a crowd of people trying to help a badly-injured protester:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZLyUK0t0vQ

That said, your point of view of someone who has “heard warnings” is very interesting. What other things do they say about the US in your social circle?

As someone who was born in the Bay Area and lives in San Francisco 12 miles from where this police raid happened, I can say that, in 33 years, I have never had a taser or gun held to my head and no one in my social circle is concerned or afraid of that happening to them. If there is a crime happening or an accident, I don’t hesitate the call the police.

As someone who has lived in San Francisco proper for 15 years, I’ve seen, quite literally, hundreds of protest where the police actually didn’t beat anyone up. Most recently at Occupy SF, police escorted the protestors to keep them from being run over by traffic. I know this may be shocking, but for some reason peaceful protests that go off without any violence are rarely reported internationally which may lead to a overly negative portrayal of a place. I have seen police crack down on protestors as well, including circling them with full riot gear, when tensions ran high because the black bloc or some group of troublemakers decided that protest means breaking things and threatening the police. I have also seen blog posts like this one claim that no such group existed and that the police did it without justification, even though I personally watched it happen.

Now I’m not saying that is what happened here and I’m not saying the police force through the US is made up of boy scouts, but given that the police are controlled by the *city* and the US federal government has nothing to do with them, I find it hard to paint the entire United States, which is physically as big as Europe and quite diverse, with such a broad stroke.

Philip Hulmes
Jacob Michael
Dale Burns
Mark Duggan

We’re at the stage where Iran is urging British authorities to exercise restraint and accuses government of double standards over human rights ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/09/uk-riots-iran-condemns-police )

Really?  That’s funny, I’d have thought a national protest movement that’s arisen in dozens of major cities and has lasted for a SOLID MONTH with no deaths, relatively few injuries other than Oakland and few arrests is a pretty strong testament to the Land of the Free.  No one in the USA is terrified of armed revolt or an overthrow of the government.  No one is seriously worried about a violent repression of these protests except those given to hyperbole or crackpots.  Some of the ‘Occupy’ movements have worked closely WITH the police; other less enlightened cities have had clashes and some have been about pushing limits on both sides.

Does that justify police brutality?  Not at all.  Many protesters are breaking laws for their protests and are getting arrested.  Is this some sign of the rise of a police state?  Again, NO.

I do sense some hollow rhetoric here, though.