Oakland Riots: 152 Arrested

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OAKLAND (GaeaTimes.com)- The figures just seem to go up of the number of people arrested in the Oakland riots that were sparked by the Mehserle sentencing on Friday. In what turned out to be a peace rally gone terribly wrong, the riots caused heavy damage to cars and shops. Latest reports indicate that there were as many as 152 arrests made by the police as they tried to control and disperse the mob. Among the many residents of Oakland, one who provided a first hand account of the mob’s fury was Philip Means who fled from his own house once he saw the mob approaching it.

Philip Means, a resident of 6th Avenue in Oakland said that he came out in his underwear when he heard the sound of the mob. He said that he understood that the situation was that of a protest gone wrong and all he could think of was to flee from the scene. He said that he was worried about his vehicle that was parked outside and thus took his keys and decided to drive off.

The demonstrations near the Oakland City Hall started rather peacefully with songs and tears but soon the news of Johannes Mehserle being given just a 2-year sentence began to anger the protesters. Co-chair of the Onyx Organizing Committee, Cat Brooks said that the later part of the rally was really beautiful when people expressed their feeling about what Oakland felt that day. She felt that the only ‘damper’ were the police officers starting to linger near the demonstrators which gradually made them angry and later break out into a mob.