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15,000 People Attend Youth Rally in Oakland, CA; Police Continue Attacks on Protesters

HeadlineJun 02, 2020

Here in New York City, protests continued into the night in defiance of an 11 p.m. curfew imposed Monday — the city’s first curfew since 1943. Earlier in the day, protesters held a die-in in Times Square.

In Oakland, California, an estimated 15,000 people attended a massive youth march against police brutality. This is organizer Akil Riley addressing a sea of students, educators and parents outside Oakland Technical High School.

Akil Riley: “It lives off poor people in this capitalist society. People need to be oppressed for America to work. So don’t believe that [bleep] that police are fighting crime. They’re brainwashed. They’re merely an arm of oppression. Why would the system of government work to combat crime? No, they work to make money. If America was really against crime, they would give people access to healthcare and housing and education.”

Shortly before the countywide 8 p.m. curfew began, police began shooting tear gas, flashbang grenades and rubber bullets at demonstrators in front of Oakland Police Department headquarters. Shortly after 8 p.m., police kettled protesters and made several group arrests, many of them for curfew violations.

Meanwhile, public health experts and government officials are warning that protests could lead to new surges of COVID-19 infections. The coronavirus has already killed Black people in America at a disproportionately high rate.

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