California Police Brutality Lawyer Blog

More than 400 Occupy Oakland demonstrators were taken into custody this weekend in one of the largest mass arrests since the Occupy Wall Street movement began last fall. On Saturday, police officers dressed in riot gear fired tear gas, smoke grenades, and bean bags at protesters as they attempted to occupy the abandoned Henry Kaiser Convention Center in downtown Oakland. Three members of the Oakland police force and at least one protester were reportedly injured during the exchange.

The Occupy Wall Street movement began in New York City last fall in an effort to showcase the vast wealth divide currently in existence in the United States. The movement quickly spread to several cities across the nation. Despite that many of the largely peaceful Occupy protests lost momentum after demonstrator encampments were forcibly emptied by local police, Occupy Oakland has seen increased activity and violence.

More than 1,000 Occupy Oakland demonstrators assembled outside of City Hall Saturday afternoon before marching through the streets to the vacant convention center. Oakland police allege a dispersal order was issued before officers took action against demonstrators who purportedly forced their way into City Hall, removed fencing, and burned American flags taken from the building. Demonstrators allege the day began as a calm act of civil disobedience which escalated only after police began using force on protesters.

Occupy Oakland protesters have accused the Oakland police Department of using unnecessarily heavy-handed tactics and overreacting to largely peaceful demonstrations. City officials claims "extremists" are using the city as a playground to advance the Occupy movement. The police department has stated officers responded with force on Saturday only after being attacked with a variety of items including bottles, metal pipes, rocks, and burning flares.

Oakland was not the only city to witness Occupy tensions this weekend. Police also allegedly clashed with protesters in Brooklyn on Saturday evening. Four demonstrators were charged with inciting a riot and other crimes. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C. the National Park Service has threatened to remove protesters from two parks in which they have been camped out since October before the month of January ends.

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Student protesters angry over a feared tuition and fees hike disrupted a University of California (UC) Board of Regents meeting in Riverside on Thursday. Although a raise in tuition was not on the agenda, 18 students caused the meeting to stop for nearly an hour by linking arms and staging a peaceful sit in demonstration. Once the meeting resumed, public access was limited while protesters gathered outside the building.

Outside, police purportedly ordered a crowd of demonstrators to disperse multiple times after several entrances to the UC Regents meeting were blocked. More than 300 student protesters used metal barricades and their own bodies to block a campus roadway. Some demonstrators are alleged to have climbed on top of vehicles to prevent them from moving. After nearly an hour, University officials were eventually escorted off of campus by police.

105 University of California police officers were on campus when the two-day Regents meeting began. By the second day, campus police requested additional assistance from local law enforcement. A total of 90 supplemental police officers from both the Riverside County Sheriff's Office and the Riverside Police Department were deployed in response to demonstrations.

University police dressed in riot gear reportedly used batons on multiple demonstrators throughout the protest in response to supposed violent action. Campus police also fired hard plastic pellets similar to those used in a paintball gun at demonstrators who allegedly attempted to break through police lines. According to the Riverside campus Chief of Police, Mike Lane, officers fired on protesters out of fear a metal barricade moving through the crowd would be used as a weapon. He also claims that was the only instance in which the pellets were used. Lane later issued a public statement proclaiming he was proud of how law enforcement officers conducted themselves as they protected both students and UC Regents.

Remarkably, UC Riverside Chancellor Timothy White stated in a letter to the campus he is thankful for the restraint shown by police as well as students. His letter was delivered with such a message despite that the University of California Police Department is currently attempting to identify anyone injured by police violence.

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation is currently reviewing allegations that sheriff's deputies at the Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail beat, used pepper spray on, and handcuffed a man while he visited his incarcerated brother. Gabriel Carrillo claims he suffered bruises and cuts at the hands of sheriff's deputies after an uncalled for attack on February 26, 2011.

The deputies involved claim they detained Carrillo for possession of a mobile telephone and used force on him after he assaulted them. They also claimed only one of Carrillo's wrists was handcuffed despite that he was bruised on both. Immediately after the incident, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office charged Carrillo with resisting sheriff's deputies, attempting to escape arrest, battery, and bringing a prohibited cellular telephone into the jail. A local judge declared Carrillo's initial arrest unlawful and dismissed the cell phone count because, although Carrillo may have violated the department's rules, he failed to break the law. The judge allowed the remaining charges to stand, however. Prosecutors later dropped the entire case against Carrillo.

Another jail visitor alleges that, although shouting and noise erupted from the room to which sheriff's deputies took Carrillo, the noise ceased several times when deputies entered the room. According to Carrillo's attorney, this shows deputies had control of the situation yet continued to use force on the man. He also stated federal investigators asked to interview Carrillo in connection with his deputy misconduct allegations, but have not yet done so.

Although the FBI declined to comment on Carrillo's case specifically, a spokeswoman has stated an investigation into the jail system is ongoing. In fact, the FBI is investigating several instances of alleged deputy abuse and other misconduct at the Los Angeles County jails, including a deputy who sneaked a mobile telephone to an inmate who was also an informant.

According to Michael Gennaco, the man in charge of the department's watchdog agency, a criminal investigation is currently underway in response to public concerns over jail conditions. He also stated this incident, coupled with another similar incident, led to the recent installation of video surveillance equipment in the jail's visiting area.

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Six Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested by police officers outfitted in riot helmets and other gear in Oakland on Saturday night. The protesters were taken into custody during a march organized to protest alleged police abuse and mistreatment of Occupy demonstrators on October 25, 2011. Protest organizers claim the march was created to draw attention to police abuse, oppression, and harassment against Occupy Wall Street protesters in the city.

Saturday's march began outside of Oakland's City Hall building and was slated to end at the Oakland Police Department. According to reports, rows of officers in riot gear blocked the route to the police station and stopped demonstrators from continuing the march. At that point, the previously peaceful protest reportedly began to change as demonstrators allegedly lit a bonfire, committed vandalism, and threw bottles at police.

Oakland police purportedly chased some demonstrators down the street before making arrests. Other protesters were reportedly corralled on the street by officers who then declared an unlawful assembly. After that, the remaining demonstrators dispersed. Occupy Oakland protesters claim police officers failed to issue a dispersal order prior to chasing down and allegedly beating some demonstrators.

According to an Oakland Police Department spokesperson, the six arrests made by police on Saturday were for alleged officer assault, resisting arrest, vandalism, and possession of an explosive device. Meanwhile, organizers claim those arrested were merely sitting peacefully in a public space.

Oakland police have engaged in confrontations with Occupy Wall Street demonstrators repeatedly over the past week. Last Wednesday, 12 protesters were arrested at almost midnight outside of the Oakland City Hall on suspicion of resisting police officers. On Thursday, two demonstrators were arrested and the doors to City Hall were locked by police in a purported effort to keep protesters from entering the building to speak with the Mayor. On Friday, 13 additional protesters were arrested after they failed comply with the Oakland Police Chief's order to disperse.

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