Oakland Tech High School Kids Hold Huge Peaceful March, Police Tear Gas Them Anyway

Screenshot: Brendan Weber, NBC Bay Area

The Bay Area’s most profound peaceful march in response to ongoing police brutality was Monday’s inspiring George Floyd Solidarity March, organized by Oakland Tech high school students and pulled off safely and without a hitch. The same cannot be said for the Oakland Police Department response, which resorted to tear gas and violence over a hastily announced curfew ⁠— before the curfew was even in effect. But that should not detract from the Oakland Tech students’ remarkable organization of a 15,000-person peaceful march. 

Here’s 1st year Howard Univ. student Akil Riley talking about why he helped organize today’s student-led #GeorgeFloyd protest starting at Oakland Tech High School and marching downtown. pic.twitter.com/5hAuh0oJBY

— Darwin BondGraham (@DarwinBondGraha) June 2, 2020

“We’re out here to show solidarity with Minneapolis and everybody that’s lost lives at the hands of police brutality,” said Howard University freshman and Oakland native Akil Riley. “We’re here for George Floyd, we’re here to show love to him and his family and to everybody. But we’re also here to disrupt and say we’re not going to let this slide no more.”

This student organized and led #GeorgeFloydProtests in Oakland is probably the largest rally yet. I attempted to capture the entire march in a time lapse video but my phone stopped filming at about the halfway point. You can figure how massive this turnout is. pic.twitter.com/jLq3u9gfxt

— Darwin BondGraham (@DarwinBondGraha) June 2, 2020

Take a look at the amazing procession of youth that proceeded to a rally at City Hall, captured by Darwin Bond Graham, editor of the new publication The Oaklandside  “They want to show pictures of rioting and things burning down, but they will never show this,” Oakland student ⁦Jacqueline Azah told the rally. “Not a fire in the crowd.”

Day 4 of Oakland #GeorgeFloyd protest: a source wishing to remain anonymous provided me with footage of the Oakland Tech High School march crowd being teargassed and flashbanged BEFORE curfew even began. They took this video at 7:49 p.m. today. pic.twitter.com/EMTBVmlcjH

— Sarah Belle Lin (@SarahBelleLin) June 2, 2020

The problem was that Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf announced an 8 p.m. curfew while the march and rally were still taking place. On top of that, Oakland Police took it upon themselves to start firing tear gas into the crowd before 8 p.m., undoing the sentiment of peaceful protest that the kids had worked so hard to create.

Day 4 of Oakland #GeorgeFloyd protest: this the scene around the Frank Ogawa/Oscar Grant Plaza after the Oakland Tech HS march. At least 25 individuals on the ground zip tied. A lawyer on scene told me the allegation is unknown protesters threw rocks at police enforcing curfew. pic.twitter.com/zTLhcSxKt6

— Sarah Belle Lin (@SarahBelleLin) June 2, 2020

The Mercury News reports 40 people were arrested in Monday night’s Oakland standoff, though we do not know if any of them were students. Either way, these kids’ accomplishment should not be blemished by the fact that Oakland City Hall fumbled their curfew announcement, and the police blew their teargas wad a little too early.