Why Did the Police Arrest More Citizens than Looters?
According to a recent issue of Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine, “the city of Oakland, and especially the Oakland PD, had been preparing for possible violence for 18 months.” So why was it, as the San Francisco Chronicle reported, that during the July 8 looting, “riot-clad officers [stood] by as protesters set trash fires, smashed windows and looted shops.” Shop-owners watched in stunned disbelief as live TV broadcasts showed their stores being vandalized and eviscerated, despite the presence of nearly 900 uniformed police from 15 law enforcement agencies. The Foot Locker was trashed and emptied. The Green Circle mail store sustained $27,000 in losses. Looters stole $15,000 worth of wigs and hair extensions from the Grace Beauty Supply. JC Jewelry lost more than $50,000 worth of diamond rings, gold chains and grill tooth-caps. “Why did the police let this happen?” asked Green Circle storeowner Thillo Bramah. “Police were… everywhere, but they did nothing,” said JC Jewelry’s Tony Mo
