Protest Dance Parties in the Oakland Streets

In defiance of a city mandated curfew, protesters in the thousands stayed in the streets of downtown Oakland after dark last night (June 3rd).

Thousands of people broke curfew in Oakland tonight. No cops in sight. pic.twitter.com/ZUWu4Kmu7U

— Shane Bauer (@shane_bauer) June 4, 2020

It being the Oakland streets, dance parties began breaking out on Broadway after dark.  You had that hip hop:

Day 6 of Oakland #GeorgeFloyd protest: Oakland going dumb. 3 hours past curfew. pic.twitter.com/ygY87qCnfB

— Sarah Belle Lin (@SarahBelleLin) June 4, 2020

You had that soulful electric slide:

meanwhile, oakland. california did poco poco dance modified as peace mob! there's always a good side from the worst. pic.twitter.com/evpNIMqfnw

— -A Marshall Mathers (@shady2brandals) June 4, 2020

you had peeps just getting down:

Oakland was getting down!!! Let’s fucking go! #oakland #california #blm #blacklivesmatter #dance #peace #protest #beautiful #georgefloyd pic.twitter.com/ck3KRm0va4

— pnw710 (@Pablooatman) June 4, 2020

you had people of every color, wearing masks, protesting and dancing together.

By contrast, the Oakland protests earlier in the week (Monday evening for example), Oakland Tech High School kids held a huge peaceful march, and police tear gased them anyway.  The police began firing massive amounts of tear gas before the city mandated curfew took effect.

I AM SICK!!! This video is from the Oakland protest 3hrs ago. AND THE AMOUNT IF TEAR GAS THAT IS BEING RELEASED HAS ME FUCKING SICK! Tear gas is PROHIBITED in WAR- but it’s okay to use on civilians? At this excessive level?! I’m so fucking sad you guys what the actual fuck. pic.twitter.com/gxuhVSozrt

— girl (@LilCocoBabe) June 2, 2020

It was a real fiasco, Oakland’s Mayor Libby Schaff at first disavowed a curfew in the city. But then on Monday the Mayor reversed her position and announced a 8pm-5am curfew, to take effect that same evening as thousands of young protesters were already in the streets and unaware they would soon ‘breaking the curfew/law’ just by being outside.

As 8pm approached, the police stepped in and began firing tear gas on the crowds of young people.  Oakland legend, (and star of HBO’s newest season of Westworld by the way) Marshawn Lynch had some real talk about the repeated police violence against protesters.

In the video Marshawn says, “I’ve got one question for 5-0, if that’s your momma, your wife, your daughter, your son, is you still shooting that s—?”

It was nice to see the authorities back off on Wednesday, and let citizens protest in peace.  There were also massive, peaceful, student lead protests in the San Francisco Mission on Wednesday as well.  The young people of America, may just save us all.

I love the Bay Area, #BlackLivesMatter.