OAKLAND (Reuters) – Riot police fought running clashes with anti-Wall street protesters in Oakland on Saturday, firing tear gas and arresting 120 people in scuffles that injured three officers and at least one demonstrator.
The confrontations erupted in the mid-afternoon as Occupy protesters sought to take over a shuttered convention center, trying to regain momentum in their movement against economic inequality after authorities cleared protest camps across the country late last year.
Hundreds of people filled the downtown Oakland streets well into the evening, turning their anger toward authorities in a city that has seen simmering tensions between police and protesters boil over repeatedly.
“Occupy Oakland has got to stop using Oakland as its playground,” Mayor Jean Quan said at a late evening press conference as officers in riot gear were still lined up against demonstrators in parts of downtown.
Quan blamed a core group of agitators for the violence, saying they had damaged City Hall and a children’s art exhibit on recycling, among other things.
City officials said three police officers and one protester were injured during repeated altercations throughout downtown. There was no immediate word on their condition. Streaming Internet broadcasts by activists showed several demonstrators being treated by paramedics or loaded into ambulances.
Occupy Oakland organizers had earlier vowed to take over