Night Two of Bay Area Protests Sees Some Destruction, New Curfew in SF

A second night of protests was underway in the Bay Area Saturday over the killing of George Floyd, a man who died at the hands of police in Minneapolis. Demonstrations the night before ended with widespread property damage in downtown Oakland.

In a briefing around 10:45 p.m., San Francisco Mayor London Breed declared a curfew effective until 5 a.m. Breed also said she’s in contact with Gov. Gavin Newsom about putting the National Guard on standby.

Breed said she understands “the hurt and the pain” that residents are feeling about the death of George Floyd. But she said what’s happening in the city is something that “will not be tolerated.”

Daytime demonstrations had stayed relatively calm in the city until around 8 p.m., when protesters began breaking glass doors at the Westfield Mall on Market Street. After that came reports of vandalism and break-ins at a CVS location, a Walgreens, a Starbucks and a Swarovski jewelry store.

East Bay In Oakland, protesters again gathered downtown, though in fewer numbers than on Friday night and amid a heavier police presence.

The Oakland Police Dept. had warned of “a higher police presence” earlier Saturday afternoon, which appeared to be borne out as lines of police with riot shields moved a sparse group of protesters out of Oscar Grant/Frank Ogawa Plaza.

Around the same time, the Oakland Police Dept. tweeted its declaration that a demonstration near 14th and Broadway was unlawful and that it was “requesting the crowd to disperse.”

In Emeryville, a Best Buy and a Target off Mandela Parkway were broken into and vandalized along with other nearby chain stores in the Bay Street shopping district.

Helicopter video from ABC7 appeared to show people taking items out of the Best Buy, and the Uniqlo store on Bay Street.

Emeryville Mayor Christian Patz said people were making off with electronics and other items. Stores in the city had closed early Saturday following the destructive actions in Oakland the night before.

“It’s an explosion of the frustration of the people in the community,” Patz said, “If we’re going to ask people to stay within the bounds of the law, we’re going to have to show that the law applies to everyone.”

Around 9 p.m, Target announced it was closing numerous stores across California until further notice, including multiple locations in San Francisco and the East Bay.

The Minneapolis-based company said it was “heartbroken by the death of George Floyd and the pain it is causing communities across the country.” It also said that any employees impacted by store closures will be paid for up to 14 days of scheduled hours, including COVID-19 premium pay, and will also be able to work at other Target locations.

At 9:15 p.m., BART announced the closure of the Powell Street and Civic Center stations in San Francisco and the 12th Street station in Oakland due to “civil disturbances,” and said trains are rolling through the stations without stopping “until further notice.

San Jose Similar to San Francisco, protests in San Jose began on what seemed to be a calmer note after Friday night’s confrontation with police.

But things became more tense as the night went on. There were initial reports of a heavy police presence in the area, and of some property damage, according to a Mercury News reporter. Just before 11 p.m., the protest was declared an “unlawful assembly.”

Protests began to scatter around City Hall at about the same time.

Santa Rosa

In Santa Rosa, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the early afternoon at Old Courthouse Square before marching several miles to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

Also earlier in the day, a red truck plowed through a crowd in Courthouse Square, but did not appear to hit anyone, reports KQED’s Gabe Meline.

Protesters took over sections of Highway 101 for a brief period in the afternoon, stopping northbound traffic, and again in the evening. Although the protest was generally peaceful, police used tear gas at least twice: to disperse crowds on the freeway and in front of the Santa Rosa Mall.

Property damage appeared to be relatively minimal, with some isolated incidents of vandalism reported later in the evening as the demonstration thinned out. Protesters spray-painted the front doors of the Santa Rosa central police station and a nearby Wells Fargo Bank, among a handful of other buildings.

This post includes reporting from KQED’s Kate Wolffe and Julie Chang and Bay City News. It will be updated.

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