District responds to chaos, arrests at meeting

One was taken to hospital after police barricade rushed

Six people were arrested at an Oakland Unified school board meeting Wednesday after protesters rushed metal barricades in front of the dais, spurring school police officers to detain them, striking some of them with batons.

The protesters, mostly from the “Oakland is Not for Sale” coalition, were opposing the school board’s September decision to close Kaiser Elementary School in the Hiller Highlands neighborhood and merge it with Sankofa Academy about 4 miles away. They also are calling on the district to put a moratorium on school closures.

The group has protested at and shut down the past three school board meetings following the board’s decision, as well as a public meeting Monday between the school board and the City Council.

Oakland school police chief Jeff Godown, at a district press conference Thursday, said that the department had prepared in case Wednesday’s meeting got rowdy, and had six sworn officers, four supervisors and 19 security guards on standby. Police put up the metal barricade in front of the dais where the school members were sitting.

Around the start of the meeting, protesters tried to knock down the stage, getting into a “pushing contest” with officers on the other side, Godown said. At that time, the school board members and Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammel were escorted by police to a different room, where they carried out the meeting, streaming it on TVs in the auditorium.

At one point, protesters rushed the barricades. Zachary Norris, one of the “Oakland Is Not For Sale” Coalition leaders and executive director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, jumped over the barricade and turned his back to police, prompting them to take him down and handcuff him.

Other protesters knocked the barricade down, and police use their batons to push back the crowd, striking some people. Some protesters rushed onto the stage, only to be handcuffed by police.

“This time they went a bit further,” said school spokesman John Sasaki, who added that the barricade had been brought in to protect board members, including the board president, who is pregnant and was set to take some months’ leave after Wednesday’s meeting. “We were very concerned about her safety.”

Some parents and teachers also showed up to the district’s news conference Thursday. Though they were not rowdy before the news conference began, district officials moved the media briefing into a different room.

Six were arrested Wednesday night on suspicion of disturbing the peace and disturbing a public meeting, and one person was taken to an area hospital after a complaint of leg pain during the fracas.

Chaz Garcia, Oakland Education Association’s second vice president, said Thursday that the the teachers union supports the coalition to stop school closures, and their right to protest.

“We condemn the use of intimidation and the erection of a barricade and creating a division in the community, especially in a space occupied by students, parents and educators,” Garcia said.

Goddown said Thursday that the school police department will review body cam footage and videos that were taken at the meeting to determine whether the officers’ use of force was justified.

Garcia herself was at the meeting, and she said in her 25 years of teaching and various years in leadership, she never has seen such a contentious setting.

“There was tension in the air the moment I walked in,” she said. Officers were lined up as people entered the meeting.

“It was very upsetting and unnerving. I personally felt very uncomfortable.”

Garcia said she saw the barricade was moved, but didn’t know how. She later saw a video of one parent who jumped over the barricade but just stood there, peaceful, she said.

On Thursday afternoon, she had not heard that protesters had also shown up to a district press conference. She said she hopes the district will engage with the community.

“We need to halt, reevaluate and do some bridge building,” Garcia said.

Sasaki said Wednesday that the district supports people’s right to protest.

“We appreciate and support people in Oakland and their right to protest. We appreciate that, in some cases, they want to express displeasure with decisions made by the board of education,” Sasaki said.

“At the same time, the board of education has to conduct its business and they have to do it in a safe environment. That’s why a barricade was set up.”

Sasaki was also in the room when protesters pushed against the barricade, spurring Oakland the schools police officers to detain them.

“This is not at all what we want to see. Again, we have no problem with peaceful protest, but when people come over a barricade, things change dramatically,” he said.

The protesters were initially taken to Oakland schools police headquarters in West Oakland. In a statement late Wednesday, an Oakland Not For Sale representative said the arrested parents were released with citations.

Although a few Oakland police officers and some security guards were present, Oakland police spokeswoman Officer Johnna Watson said officers arrived later after the confrontation. Oakland police were not involved in any arrests.