Oakland Police Chief Says Officers Performed 'Well' During Ferguson Verdict Protests

Oakland police Chief Sean Whent admitted today that his department’s response to a large protest Monday night following the decision in the Michael Brown case “could have gone better” but he said he thinks his officers performed well under the circumstances. Speaking to a large group of reporters at police headquarters, Whent said the reason some protesters were able to get onto Interstate Highway 580 near Grand Avenue is that the crowd was large and spread out into multiple areas.

Whent said the crowd “grew quickly” and estimated that it reached up to 1,500 or 2,000 people at the height of the protest, which took place after a Missouri grand jury’s decision not to indict Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson for the death of Brown, 18.

Whent said three officers were injured when some protesters threw rocks, bottles and chunks of concrete at them. One officer was hit in the face with a brick and suffered a cut and a minor concussion, one suffered a minor knee injury and one had a minor cut to his hand, Whent said. The officer who suffered a minor concussion was assigned to mentoring students in East Oakland but has now been placed on medical leave, the chief said.

A total of 43 people have been arrested so far for a variety of crimes, including for assaulting officers, burglary, failure to disperse, resisting arrest, vandalism and public intoxication, according to Whent. He said most of the people who were arrested were from Oakland but added that “a fair number were from out of town.”

Related: Police Arrest More Than 40 Vandals During Oakland Protests Monday Night

Whent said he believes Oakland officers “exercised significant restraint” under the circumstances, which he said included some protesters who “were adamant in trying to provoke a response” by police. He said, “There’s a delicate balance between over-reacting and under-reacting” but he believes Oakland police responded more professionally on Monday night than they did during Occupy Oakland protests three years ago because they’ve undergone a great deal of crowd-control training. Whent said officers “acted well given the demands that were placed on them.”

Whent said more than 300 Oakland police officers responded to the protest and were joined by 175 mutual aid officers early in the evening and another large contingent of mutual aid officers later in the night. The chief said he has “significant staff assigned” for another protest planned for tonight but declined to comment on specific tactics that he plans to use.

Previous: Protestors Gather in Oakland in Response to Grand Jury’s Decision in Ferguson Shooting

Whent said, “We remain dedicated to promoting peaceful protests but we won’t tolerate assaults or property damage.” Joining Whent, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said about 10 businesses in downtown Oakland sustained broken windows or other damage. Whent said one of the businesses that was damaged the most was the Smart and Final store at 10th Street and Broadway, which he said was looted. Protesters used “a great number of bottles from Smart and Final” to throw at officers, he said. Quan said she rode in patrol cars with officers and “more than a few times we were under attack from bottles and rocks.”

The mayor said it was “very difficult” for police to control the crowd because it was one of the largest and longest-lasting demonstrations in Oakland in a long time. Quan said she believes police officers acted well under the conditions Monday night, saying, “Oakland has come a long way” in recent years in improving its response to protests.

Additional coverage: Related: No Indictment for Officer Wilson in Shooting Death of Michael Brown

The Oakland Uhuru Movement said in a statement that it will join with Black is Back Coalition Social Justice, Peace and Reparations to hold another protest at Oakland police headquarters at 7th Street and Broadway at 5 p.m. today.

By Bay City News

Photo of protestors in Oakland on Monday night. Photo credit: Bay City News