Calm Like a Bomb

Today was a peaceful breath, the calm before what is expected to be part two of last night's dangerous riot. Last night a peaceful protest turned into an ugly, dangerous riot that has caused upwards of $500,000 of damage to private property in the neighborhood where I live. The people of this city are furious at the shooting death of a 22 year old father of two by a police officer with the Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART). The officer, who claims to have been reaching for his taser, but instead grabbed his gun, shot and killed the young man when he was already laying face down on the ground, apprehended. The protest was to bring the public transportation system to a halt to force awareness and bring about justice for the victim. What followed was a terrifying scene reminiscent of a war zone. Cars on fire, looting, SWAT teams, riot police, tear gas, explosions, at least 12 helicopters circling with search lamps for 5 hours. It's the most bizarre thing I've ever seen, a sea of people roaming in the streets, breaking into cars and store fronts, halting traffic; fearless brutes lurching and devouring cars like so many insects stripping a carcass and moving on.

Who is to blame for this scene? The angry, seething masses grasping to be heard? The police officer who pulled his gun when he meant to pull his taser? The economy? The history of police brutality in this area? This city is a powder keg. Racial tensions, economic strife, a culture of turf violence; it is hardly surprising that the response to white cop on black youth violence would quickly turn to into this.

As much as I wish I would have gotten some photos of last night's insanity, when the burning cars began to explode down the block from my apartment, I decided to stay inside. I'm glad I did. Talking to a San Francisco Chronicle photog this afternoon, I was informed that the handful of media journalists who were on hand during the riot did not fare well. Most of them received damage to their equipment and one journalist ended up being beaten for taking video coverage. Yep, glad I kept me and my uninsured equipment at home.

This afternoon I roamed around my neighborhood taking pictures of the aftermath and talking to people waiting around for something to happen outside of the BART offices, 3 blocks from my home. In my neighborhood, there were 200 police officers stationed just waiting for something to happen. Here is a very detailed timeline of what has been going on in the past 24 hours, courtesy of the Oakland Tribune. They have been updating very regularly, so keep checking back there.

I was really impressed by the rapid clean up in the wee hours of the morning. By the time I got out and about mid-morning, much of the devastation had been swept up and hidden away, but whispers of the conflict can still be seen everywhere. (Sadly no skeletons of burnt out cars. They scuttled those away right quick.) Below are a few shots from the day.

Busted window at a shop two blocks from my apartment.

Somebody should have invested in safety glass.

Completely shattered shop window a block away from my apartment.

What appears to be the handiwork of a bullet in the window of a cafe I frequent.

A sample of the police presence downtown today.

A cop preparing his riot gear for a conflict that never materialized this afternoon.

Another cadre of officers waiting in the park near my house.

A small group of protesters hassling the cops outside of the BART offices.

One of the protesters being handcuffed after throwing a cigarette at a cop.

I have the feeling that this is nowhere near over. I will faithfully communicate information and images to you as I gather them. I still hear helicopters and sirens as a pregnant pause descends on the city.