On
April 7, 2003, in
Oakland, California, United States, an
anti-war
An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to pa ...
protest occurred at the
Port of Oakland. The
non-violent protest was organized by
Direct Action to Stop the War Direct Action to Stop the War (DASW) was an organization that coordinated nonviolent direct action-based opposition activities to the 2003 invasion of Iraq in the San Francisco Bay Area. The organization was founded in October 2002 following an over ...
, a Bay Area peace group, which was protesting against
American President Lines, alleging the company shipped arms and supplies for the U.S. military and was profiting from the
war on Iraq
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
.
The incident
The
police fired
wooden dowels projectiles,
sting balls,
concussion grenades,
tear gas and other
non-lethal weapons when protesters at the gates of two shipping lines at the port refused an order to disperse. Longshoremen and protestors were injured in the exchange.
Reverberations
The next month after the incident, on May 13,
Direct Action to Stop the War Direct Action to Stop the War (DASW) was an organization that coordinated nonviolent direct action-based opposition activities to the 2003 invasion of Iraq in the San Francisco Bay Area. The organization was founded in October 2002 following an over ...
again led a march of anti-war activists and community leaders from the
West Oakland BART Station
West Oakland station is a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station serving the West Oakland neighborhood in Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast o ...
to five port gates, and the event remained peaceful.
Criminal charges against 24 activists and one longshoreman were brought and later dropped, and in February, 2005 the Oakland City Council paid $154,000 to 24 people who claimed they were hurt in the demonstration. In 2006, The New York Times reported upon an over $2 million settlement for "dozens of payouts" stemming from the incident, the reported size of the awards from the City ranging from $5,000 to $500,000.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Port of Oakland dock protest
Police brutality in the United States
Protests in the San Francisco Bay Area
Port of Oakland
Riots and civil disorder in California
Crimes in Oakland, California
Anti-war protests in the United States