Protest Over George Floyd’s Death Happening in Oakland Tonight

Photo from a Justice for Oscar Grant protest from Mask Magazine

As you well know by now, George Floyd was murdered on Monday by Minneapolis Police officers in what amounted to a public lynching. The video evidence is so irrefutable that even vile, racist, hate mongers like Rush Limbaugh and Mitch McConnell say the cops look guilty. You know it’s fucked up when that happens.

There is a little bit of good news: Derek Chauvin, the officer who used his knee to crush George Floyd’s neck and kill him, has been arrested and charged with 3rd-degree murder and manslaughter. We’re a long way off from finding out if he will end up serving any time. Unfortunately, even if he does, it may not be much. If you recall, Johannes Mehserle, the cop who killed Oscar Grant, did less time than Michael Vick did for dog fighting (don’t get me wrong, dog fighting is evil and vile, but one would think killing a human would warrant far more jail time).

Over the past few days, people around the country have been protesting the murder of George Floyd, especially in Minneapolis, where protesters burned a police station to the ground last night. Tonight a protest is scheduled for 8 p.m. at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza (aka Oscar Grant Plaza) outside City Hall. The Chronicle reports that the Oakland PD “has increased staffing to facilitate freedom of speech, while also maintaining public safety.”

A peaceful protest of about 60 people happened yesterday in downtown Oakland and nobody was arrested or cited.

Tonight will most likely prove to be much larger. From my ample experience in protests, as long as the police don’t antagonize the protesters, or destroy property while pretending to be them, it should remain peaceful.