The main entrance to the downtown Oakland Federal Building was blockaded for four hours and twenty-eight minutes Friday morning, January 16th, 2015. Beginning at 6:30 AM, a half hour before the announced “spoon” action at the Montgomery BART, this unpublicized action by a group identifying with the hashtag #3rdWorld4BlackPower quickly became one of the highlights of a wide-ranging day of action across Oakland and San Francisco in support of #BlackLivesMatter.
Some blockaded the main entrance with arms linked in black tubing, while others held signs that said “South Asians for Black Resistance,” “Palestine for Black Resistance,” “Koreans for Black Resistance,” “Latinxs for Black Resistance,” “Xicanas for Black Resistance,” “Caribenas for Black Resistance” and more.
Images of a banner floating in the air supported by a helium balloon (right) flashed around the globe via twitter, becoming an iconic image of the action.
For whatever reason, neither Homeland Security agents nor local police chose to intervene – the protesters declared victory around 11:00 AM and marched away having taken no arrests. (An alternate entrance, to the Courthouse building was open, so that no one was actually prevented from entering, according to this article).
Here are some pictures from the action.
“For whatever reason, neither Homeland Security agents nor local police chose to intervene…”
What do you mean, “for whatever reason”?
You answer you own question when you note that an “alternate entrance to the Courthouse building was open, so that no one was actually prevented from entering.”
It’s hard to imagine this action being any less ineffectual.