The fifth night of nationwide protests over the widespread failure of the system to prosecute white officers who kill unarmed black men and boys, culminated in hacktivist group Anonymous taking down the Police Department’s website in Oakland, California.
Video from the front lines in #Berkeley Sat. night: https://t.co/pZ0JlKN7sQ via @RayChris91#berkeleyprotests#ICantBreathe
— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) December 8, 2014
The group was responding to the firing of tear gas at hundreds of protesters in the city. Police claimed they deployed tear gas in response to be targeted with what they called "explosives."
#Targethttp://t.co/s9hHxQtgnN 209.232.103.137 #TangoDown#Anonymous#AntiSec#GhostSec#OpFergusonpic.twitter.com/SO7JacnnzT
— DIGITΛSHΛDØW (@DigitaShadow) December 8, 2014
While recent police killings of two black men happened in New York and Missouri, tensions have boiled over on the West Coast.
READ MORE:#BlackLivesMatter: Anonymous calls for march of millions over police brutality
In a second night of protests on Sunday, multiple injuries and arrests have been made in Oakland and Berkley. Acts of vandalism and rock-throwing by rioters started to take place as splinter groups broke off from the original peaceful march. Someone smashed a window of a local Radio Shack store, which escalated the situation.
Berkeley: Windows smashed, demonstrators throw rocks as protests turn violent http://t.co/KqWrqVXVRBhttps://t.co/x9t1rVChAE
— Amanda Wills (@AmandaWills) December 8, 2014
According to Police Officer Jennifer Coats, one protester tried to stop the act of vandalism and received a hammer to the head.
Shattered storefront of Mechanic’s Bank in #Berkeley after 2nd night of protests. Photos: http://t.co/a5S7v0ncgZpic.twitter.com/w2jKb8WAPK
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) December 8, 2014
According to a Reuters reporter on the ground, police made multiple arrests from a crowd that numbered well over 500.
Multiple CHP cars smashed. Flash bangs under freeway on Telegraph. #EricGarner#MikeBrownpic.twitter.com/ZtFlMHNg3o
— Kale Williams (@sfkale) December 8, 2014
Similar incidents were seen in Oakland, where people were seen walking on the roads and blocking traffic on roads and a nearby freeway. No conclusive arrest figures have yet been released for Sunday.
#Berkeley#ICantBreathe RT @LeftSentThis: At least a thousand people are marching down Telegraph towards the campus. pic.twitter.com/rv0VHyOFBC
— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) December 8, 2014
There is still no word if any protesters were injured in the violence. The only notable injury was an officer’s dislocated shoulder. However, at one point, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on a line of about 100 police in riot gear, pushing back against a crowd of 300-400 people.
It also reported other people being hit by tear gas – not just protesters.
READ MORE:Rubber bullets, tear gas in Berkeley as police disperse #EricGarner, #Ferguson rally
Initial demonstrations in New York and Missouri started out peacefully, calling for police reforms as politicians appealed for calm. Others joined the protesters in calling for unity and a more representative political apparatus.
UPDATE: Police set up barricades in #Berkeley to block protesters that try to enter the police station #BlackLivesMatter
— Ruptly Newsroom (@RuptlyNewsroom) December 8, 2014
Protester in Northern Oakland hurls a tear gas canister back at California Highway Patrol. pic.twitter.com/9d2YOJBhDV
— Bill (@DefendWallSt) December 8, 2014
Sunday's unrest is only the latest incident in a series of protests which broke out across the country after a grand jury decision that acquitted a white New York City police officer of any wrongdoing in the death of Eric Garner, a 43-year-old black Staten Island resident, on July 17.
The incident, ruled a homicide by the medical examiner, was videotaped by a passer-by and put online. In it, the officer can be seen placing Garner in an illegal chokehold while a group of other officers force Garner to the ground. Garner, who reportedly suffered from asthma, died after repeatedly saying, "I can't breathe" - a phrase that has become a rallying cry for the protesters.
The Garner decision came shortly after a Missouri grand jury decided not to indict a white police officer in the death of Michael Brown, 18, who was shot multiple times following a confrontation with police in Ferguson, Missouri despite being unarmed.
"@tounsiahourra: This is not Tahrir square this is #Berkeley#California (Photo @Reuters) pic.twitter.com/EPUpCC0zlp"حلو اوى مصر بقت موضه
— بداية البناء يارب (@waxmud) December 8, 2014
The Garner decision came shortly after a Missouri grand jury decided not to indict a white police officer in the death of Michael Brown, 18, who was shot multiple times following a confrontation with police in Ferguson, Missouri despite being unarmed.