I wish I had more time to blog these one at a time or make them display prettier.
But I don’t 🙂
Here’s the scoop for those of you who are interested.

1.
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2523269
OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) – Oakland police fired rubber bullets to disperse about 750 anti-war demonstrators on Monday in what was believed to be the first use of the projectiles against U.S. protesters since the American-led war on Iraq began. … “I have been to many protests over the years, and I have never seen police resort to shooting people because they didn’t like where they were standing,” said Scott Fleming, 29, a lawyer hit several times in the back.
“They had loaded guns and started charging.”
An Oakland police spokeswoman said officers warned before firing. At least a dozen protesters were arrested.
“We gave our dispersal order, we gave them an order, we gave them ample time to disperse,” said police spokeswoman Danielle Ashford. “When we give our dispersal order, that’s pretty much it. (If) there are safety issues involved, that’s when we step in.”
The action is believed to be the first police use of anti-crowd munitions against U.S. demonstrators since President Bush launched an invasion aimed at toppling Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
… Leone Reinbold, a spokeswoman for Direct Action to Stop the War which organized the protest, said she saw a policeman run his motorcycle into one woman and another man get hit with a rubber bullet to the nose.
“We weren’t there to confront the police. We set up a peaceful picket line,” she said. “The worst injury was to the long, tried-and-true tradition in this country of picketing.”
Jerry Drelling, a spokesman for American President Lines, the company that was the object of the protest, said it has some government contracts but declined to provide details. He said no one at the firm had been injured.
“The Oakland police department managed to keep the ingress and egress open so that worked out pretty well,” he said. “We’re trying to run a business and you want to keep the gates open.”
2. http://www.theksbwchannel.com/news/2095292/detail.html
Police Fire ‘Sting Balls’ At Oakland Protesters Demonstrators Stage Event At Oakland Docks
OAKLAND, Calif. — Oakland police opened fire Monday morning with wooden dowels, “sting balls” and other non-lethal weapons at more than 500 hundred antiwar protesters.
The demonstrators were trying to block the entrances to the APL pier on the Oakland docks. They claim APL is carrying material to the war in Iraq.
Most of the demonstrators dispersed peacefully, but police used the weapons at two gates where protesters refused to move.
Six longshoremen standing near the protest and six demonstrators were hurt.
The protesters say it’s the first time they’ve been fired on since demonstrations began several weeks ago in the San Francisco Bay area.
Police say at least 10 people were arrested.
Deputy Chief Patrick Haw says the officers fired because some demonstrators were throwing rocks and iron bolts at them.
Trent Willis, a business agent for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, says union workers will not be reporting Monday.
Several demonstrators were also arrested at protests at the Concord Naval Weapons Station, at the federal building in San Francisco and while trying to block an offramp from Interstate 280.
The protests come two weeks after demonstrations sparked hundreds of arrests and brought downtown San Francisco to a standstill.
3. KTVU video: http://www.ktvu.com/news/2094673/detail.html#
still: http://images.ibsys.com/2003/0407/2095726_200X150.jpg
http://www.ktvu.com/news/2094673/detail.html
4.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/iraq/5578918.ht m
San Jose Mercury News
Protesters shot with wooden bullets at Port of Oakland By Dana Hull Mercury News
Protesters and dockworkers were hit with wooden bullets when Oakland police opened fire to clear an anti-war demonstration at the Port of Oakland this morning.
About 400 to 500 protesters tried to disrupt operations at two terminals of companies they say ship military cargo for the Department of Defense.
Most of the protesters dispersed, but when some refused, police began shooting wooden bullets into the crowd.
“I was marching in a circle when the police lowered their guns at us,” said Oakland resident Scott Fleming, 29, a criminal defense attorney. “I started to run and kept getting hit in the back.”
Fleming showed reporters five large welts on his back that he said was caused by the wooden dowels fired by police. Several dockworkers were also hit.
“I’m a lawyer and I’m seriously considering filing charges,” Fleming said. “They’re supposed to shoot at our feet and they were shooting at our backs.”
Oakland Police said at least 24 people were arrested.
5. San Jose Mercury News slideshow: javascript:openWin(‘/mld/cctimes/slideshow.htm?content_id=5579343&pub_name=c ctimes&language=en&palette_name=blue_dark_standard_cool&site_name=bayarea&co mponent_title=&component_desc=’);
Police get aggressive to deter Monday morning protesters CONTRA COSTA TIMES
OAKLAND – A couple of hours after the Oakland Police Department fired wooden bullets and beanbags into a crowd of protesters, Oakland City Council members were calling for hearings into the officers’ conduct.
City Councilwoman Jane Brunner stood near an injured protester who had a bloody welt on his back that had swelled to the size of a softball. “It’s pretty upsetting to see these big welts,” said Brunner.
“We have to investigate this. According to the police chief, a protester threw a rock. My question is: Even if one or two people have been disruptive, do you go in like that with that kind of force in a demonstration?”
Police used wooden bullets, concussion grenades and tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters trying to block the entrance Monday to business that delivers military supplies to troops.
A few people were on the ground bleeding after being shot with the wooden bullets, which expand to the size of a knob on a dresser. As police herded some 500 protesters down a side road, people tried unsuccessfully to get into cars to go to the hospital.
Within a few minutes, at least one ambulance arrived.
One woman lay on the ground with two huge purple welts on her face from the wooden bullets, while another man was on the ground with his face bleeding.
Some protesters said they had been hit with tear gas canisters and bean bag bullets, as well.
The protesters were trying to block two gates of American President Lines, formerly known as APL, which is a Department of Defense contractor that delivers military cargo to troops at war.
The protesters claim police never issued any orders to disperse, but just began shooting wooden bullets and then herding the protesters onto the side road. About two dozen motorcycle officers pushed forward with officers on foot behind them shooting wooden bullets.
Around 8 a.m., police in riot gear and gas masks had backed one group of protesters to Seventh Avenue and Maritime Street right under the BART tracks where traffic was blocked and tensions were mounting. Big rig trucks were backing up in the streets and the sound of honking horns was broken up by the officers firing wooden bullets into the ground.
Police continue to drive protesters away from the Port of Oakland.
6. Utne Reader
http://www.utne.com/web_special/web_specials_2003-04/articles/10439-1.html
Police Use Rubber Bullets Against Oakland Protesters