Oakland has a long tradition of non-violent protest and dissent. In that spirit, the overwhelming majority of demonstrators in downtown Oakland on July 8 peacefully expressed their views about the tragedy of Oscar Grant’s death and the involuntary manslaughter conviction of Johannes Mehserle.

Unfortunately, dozens of people – many from outside of Oakland – came here not to protest, but to vandalize our city. These ghouls used the demonstration and the awful circumstances of a young man’s death as nothing more than an excuse to incite violence, set fires, loot Oakland businesses and lash out in childish and destructive ways. 

The First Amendment right to protest is paramount in our democracy. What we saw in Oakland July 8 was a clear line between those who were exercising that right and those who cynically used this tragedy to act out their own personal psychodramas. 

Graffiti spray-painted on a Broadway building said it best: “Oakland is our amusement park tonight!” 

Our city will not tolerate this disrespect. 

It has become routine for so-called “anarchists” and others like them to infiltrate legitimate protests in Oakland, and to use the crowd as cover to trash our town. In fact, calling these poseurs “anarchists” gives them too much credit, because that would imply they actually have a philosophy, right or wrong, behind their actions. 

The people who smashed windows at a sushi restaurant and made off with bottles of sake (which turned out to be empty display bottles) did not do so for any political reason. The young women who broke into Sears to clown around with mannequins and steal lamps were not making a statement – neither were the young men who attacked a TV camera crew and seriously injured one cameraman. Setting fires in the middle of a large gathering in our city center has nothing to do with civil disobedience. 

These people were not here for justice. Sadly, it appears they were here for no other reason than to get an emotional rush from confrontation with police, destruction of property and lawlessness. 

The City Attorney’s Office is investigating all legal options for holding the worst offenders accountable for their deplorable behavior during the rampage. Our office defers to the Alameda County District Attorney on criminal matters, and we will work with the DA where appropriate to pursue criminal charges. 

We also intend to explore all available civil law actions against vandals, looters and people who attacked or interfered with police. To be clear, that description does not apply to everyone who was arrested July 8 – only to those who disrespected Oakland and Mr. Grant’s memory by endangering the innocent. 

This office strongly supports the rights of citizens to protest and to engage in non-violent civil disobedience. Those who treat our city like a lawless playground only make it harder for Oaklanders to freely exercise those rights.