09 January 2009

Oakland: Revolution Against Oppression, Injustice, and Creative African Braids

Troublemakers Converge on Oakland

There is some justifiable anger over the accidental shooting of a young man by BART police in Oakland. It was most likely the result of the police officer using his sidearm when he thought it was a taser. A tragic mistake. But his death was a very convenient excuse for professional troublemakers like Maoist organization ANSWER and other hoodlums to wreak havoc on local businesses in the East Bay. SF Gate has insight on the political message in smashing the Creative African Braids store (thx Mezzo):
The mob smashed the windows at Creative African Braids on 14th Street, and a woman walked out of the shop holding a baby in her arms.

"This is our business," shouted Leemu Topka, the black owner of the salon she started four years ago. "This is our shop. This is what you call a protest?"

Wednesday night's vandalism victims had nothing to do with the shooting death by a BART police officer of Oscar Grant on New Year's Day - but that did little to sway the mob.

"I feel like the night is going great," said Nia Sykes, 24, of San Francisco, one of the demonstrators. "I feel like Oakland should make some noise. This is how we need to fight back. It's for the murder of a black male."

Sykes, who is black, had little sympathy for the owner of Creative African Braids.

"She should be glad she just lost her business and not her life," Sykes said. She added that she did have one worry for the night: "I just hope nobody gets shot or killed."
Dear God, rampant property destruction is the last thing California needs, since the state is teetering on the abyss of bankruptcy. The LA Riots in 1992 cost about $1 Billion in damage and over 50 lives, perhaps we are forgetting the painful lessons of history. But don't expect agitators to stop brainwashing impressionable youth by whipping them up in a frenzy of anti-establishment hysteria. This pic from Oakland is very disturbing:

If only these kids knew how many Chinese citizens were killed by Mao's cultural revolution. ANSWER probably left that part out.

4 comments:

Mike said...

Mistaking a sidearm for a taser is a hell of a a "mistake" to make, not to mention the fact that the cop thought it was okay to use a taser when there were several officers sitting on top of the guy.

Still, the ANSWER morans make it harder for people like me who want to hold idiots like that officer accountable, because anyone who speaks out against the mistake in a reasonable manner gets lumped in with the ANSWER types by the "law and order" bunch.

Nixon said...

Mike,

I don't think it's hard to be rational about your dissent, but unfortunately that kind of reason gets crowded out in situations like this. ANSWER seeks to exploit the situation to cause trouble.

MezzoCO said...

*h/t*

Anonymous said...

I've heard not fighting on trains greatly reduces your chances of getting shot in the back by the popo.