Youth Radio - Topic: Riot

Dispatches from Iran: June 20-21

abharadwaj — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:03:13 -0500

June 20-21, 2009: Youth Radio received more messages from Bani in Iran as she continues to particpate in protests and marches.

People gathered peacefully and were met on each street corner by hundreds of riot police and Bassiji militias. We were all beaten violently. There are reports of many killed by gunfire. Having escaped the beatings, I hid in a store with other people, and waited for the police to leave. Then tried to make my way home, but with police on every corner, beating shamelessly with no discretion and charging bystanders, I had to hide a second time in another store, where the owners pulled down the metal curtain, protecting us for about 15 minutes.

Bani wrote that many were injured or killed during these beatings, which is no longer an uncommon sight in Iran. She sent along this video to show us the current state of affairs in Tehran.

1 Week Later - Protests Almost Peaceful [UPDATED]

brett — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:49:31 -0600

UPDATE: Sadly even though everything I experienced was completely peaceful, it appears that some forces would not have it end that way. As I sit at Youth Radio headquarters--just 3 blocks from City Hall-- I'm listening to the buzzing of helicopters overhead. An hour and a half after the protest ended, after our production team left the rally, a small group of protesters turned violent. I'm saddened that the peaceful rally I witnessed might not be remembered that way.

ORIGNAL STORY CONTINUES BELOW

This evening another peaceful rally went down in support of Oscar Grant, the 22-year-old was shot and killed by a BART police officer on New Year’s Day. The rally took place in Downtown Oakland where just one week ago angry protestors vandalized cars and local businesses. Today's vibe was much different though.
The protest began at 4 PM in from of Oakland City Hall where community organizers, Grant's family members, musical artists, members of the clergy, and Oakland mayor Ron Dellums addressed the crowd. Supporters chanting "I am Oscar Grant" marched to an Alameda County Administrative building where young people sang and read poetry, and made repeated calls for justice before returning to city hall. While people marched volunteers made sure businesses were not being damaged by forming a human line through the sidewalks.

Oscar Grant Protest Video [Part 1-8]

nate — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:31:33 -0600

For this 8 Part mini-documentary, video producer Nate Hadden cut together footage of the protest at Fruitvale BART in Oakland, CA, along with interviews with the protesters on Jan. 7, 2009.

Oscar Grant Protest Part 1

Oscar Grant Protest Part 2

Oscar Grant Protest Part 3

Oscar Grant Protest Part 4

Oscar Grant Protest Part 5

Oscar Grant Protest Part 6

Oscar Grant Protest Part 7

Oscar Grant Protest Part 8

Bout That Action: Oscar Grant Protest

noah — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:52:58 -0600

The following is the transcript of a commentary which aired on National Public Radio's All Things Considered.I decided not to join in the protests in Oakland this week, even though a lot of my friends were out there. I was worried there would be random protesters, looking to start trouble, and their voices would be louder than the people looking for justice. While I was at home watching the news, I saw two different stories unfold. One was of senseless rioting, and people running around in chaos with unfocused anger. Then, I saw more video. Riot police grabbing kids and dragging them off by their necks. The mere presence of riot police could be seen as a provocation— but we all know you can’t touch the police! It’s like being a child on punishment…you can’t hit parent, so you hit a wall, flip over a desk. Innocent people’s cars and businesses became that wall this week in Oakland. Being a black man who’s lived my whole life here, I see the violence as the culmination of residents’ frustration with police abuse of power. This is 2009, a year of change. Yet we’re still facing problems like police brutality…the same problems my mother and father faced more than 40 years ago. The difference now is, Oaklanders are enraged by a crime that can’t be covered up. Oscar Grant’s killing was recorded with bystanders’ cell phones, and anyone with an Internet connection can witness the whole scene. You hear the crowd yelling at the officers to stop, just before Grant is shot in the back, point blank. With this BART police officer on the streets, I feel like I’m watching one of those cliché gangster movies where it seems like the bad guy is so powerful, no one wants to touch him. If I shot someone in front of a crowd, or even pulled out a gun for that matter, there’s no way I would be walking away. That’s why those kids rocked police cars, and broke windows. Don’t get me wrong – Oakland is not a model city. Unfortunately, citizens are shooing each other too. But I saw something different on Election Day – the last time residents poured onto the streets. I didn’t hear about one shooting that night. We were in the streets, 500 deep, singing “Go Bama, go Bama!” People were playing capoeria and djembe drums. There were very few police, and no problems. The presidential inauguration is days away. A dream come true for black Americans, for the country. And Oakland citizens take great pride in knowing they helped make it real by voting and grassroots action. But here in “The Town” this week, we don’t even know if we’ll accomplish something simple -- accountability for a publicly witnessed murder. The young people I know say “we gon to be bout that action” until justice is served. For NPR News, I’m Leon Sykes. A note about the photographs. Photos for this story were appropriated from flickr streams under creative commons Attribution-noncommercial 2.0 Generic [Thomas Hawk], Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic [Capt. Tim] and Attribution 2.0 Generic [NeitherFanboy] licenses.