Photo from MSNBC
Solidarity Oakland USA
It was "Move-In Day" for Occupy Oakland today, and as we type protesters have once again met with riot-cop resistance in the form of barricades, smoke bombs, and tear gas as they were attempting to occupy the historic but long underused Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center on Lake Merritt.
Oakland North reports via Twitter that a crowd of at least 300 had gathered at noon at Frank Ogawa Plaza — including people with children — and began a march toward the undisclosed location, which Occupy Oakland organizers had previously said would be a building they would occupy as their political hub and "social center."
The march started peacefully enough, with protesters chanting "Solidarity forever. The movement makes us strong," and "We are people. We are not illegal," and playing Tupac's "California Love" on some mobile speakers.
But as the crowd moved toward the intended occupation target, the convention center, on 10th Street not far from the Oakland Museum, the standoff began. Some Twitterers allege that ABC 7's aerial feed went black before the smoke bombs and tear gas started being deployed, and of course people are alarmed because of the number of children in the crowd.
The convention center has been, for the past decade, the site of one of the city's most visible homeless encampments. The homeless only relocated recently after construction crews moved in to remove the 12th Street Dam connecting Lake Merritt to the Estuary, and an improvement project began in the adjacent park.
We'll update you as we learn more.
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