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Oakland police defend response to post-game riot
Critics say cops should have halted mayhem

Janine DeFao, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 28, 2003

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Oakland -- Oakland police came under fire Monday for their handling of post-Super Bowl mayhem in which unruly crowds shattered storefront windows, torched a fast food restaurant and cars, and pelted police, firefighters and motorists with rocks and bottles.

Police defended their actions, saying they did what they could to prevent more serious damage or injuries in the wake of the Raiders' lopsided defeat to Tampa Bay. Authorities had braced for Sunday night with 410 extra officers after a ruckus a week earlier when the team won a spot in the championship game.

But critics, from city leaders to store owners and even Alameda County Sheriff Charles Plummer, said the police response was not enough.

"We did a good job at the beginning, but for some reason we lost control later, and it cost us a lot of pain, suffering and a lot of money," said Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente. "I don't think you can measure the damage to our city right now."

Oakland had hoped having the Raiders in the Super Bowl would shed a positive light on a city that has been in the national eye mostly for its spiraling murder rate. Instead, it now must contend with images of crazed groups of young men terrorizing businesses and drivers along International Boulevard in East Oakland.

Police said they controlled the crowds, even if they could not completely stop them. They said about 1,000 rioters, many of them young men between 14 and 20 years old, were involved in 100 separate incidents, from setting fires to spinning "doughnuts" with their cars.

"Short of martial law, it's tough to prevent people from breaking a window if they're hell-bent on doing it," said Police Chief Richard Word, who himself arrested a 14-year-old who had thrown a bottle. "There are hundreds of businesses along International Boulevard. Three suffered damage."

$100,000 IN DAMAGE REPORTED

Businesses and officials estimated at least $100,000 in damage to a McDonald's, Gomes Tire and Service Center and a Kelly-Moore paint store.

At the Kelly-Moore store, a paint can and a brick remained embedded in one window Monday morning, while white paint blanketed the street like snow.

"For years to come, people will drive by and say, 'This is what happened when they lost the game,' " said Aumont Phipps, who works nearby. "If they had 400 extra police officers, where were they?"

Aurelio Gomes Jr., son of the tire store's owner, attempted to blast paint from the sidewalk with a steady stream of water.

"I knew there would be some trouble, but nothing of this magnitude. Imagine if they won?" Gomes said. "It gives the punks an excuse to riot and destroy our city."

His father, Aurelio Gomes Sr., hesitated to criticize police. "I don't know if they could have done any better. There were so many" in the lawless crowd, he said.

FIRE TRUCKS, POLICE CARS HIT

In addition to the three businesses, nine fire trucks and 12 police cars were damaged by rocks, bottles and other objects. Firefighters tackled blazes at the McDonald's as well as eight vehicle fires and 20 trash fires, officials said.

Three firefighters suffered minor injuries, two from broken glass.

Oakland police had called in 290 more officers than the two shifts of 50 normally on duty, and they had help from 90 Alameda County Sheriff's deputies and 30 officers from the California Highway Patrol.

Five teams of officers clad in riot gear, with 30 to 45 officers each, moved to trouble spots, marching in a line while squad cars followed slowly behind them. Police used tear gas and guns that fire rubber balls and wooden pellets to break up crowds.

Police made 80 to 85 arrests for offenses including refusal to disperse, resisting or obstructing officers, throwing objects at moving vehicles and public drunkenness, Word said. They also towed 60 cars for up to 30 days and issued more than 400 citations.

But while police tackled one problem, another would crop up elsewhere. Some officers at the scene acknowledged they were outnumbered.

Alameda County Sheriff Charles Plummer, whose deputies assisted, said it appeared to him that Oakland police had a bad strategy.

SHERIFF CRITICIZES STRATEGY

"You have to chase people. You can't just stand there. You have to grab them and arrest them," said Plummer, who was not at the scene.

Richard Hsieh, a manager of the McDonald's, agreed. "The police can come up with a better strategy. Last night, all I saw was police parading on the street," he said.

But Word said police cannot simply arrest people who are gathered without evidence that they are breaking the law. And the lawbreakers were scattered through the crowds, playing a cat-and-mouse game with police, he said.

Word said that in the future, the department will consider using more response teams with fewer officers so they can get to trouble spots more quickly. He also said the department will consider whether it can impose a curfew to prevent future incidents.

Mayor Jerry Brown and City Manager Robert Bobb commended the police.

"The police are damned if they do and damned if they don't," Bobb said. "If they started making one arrest after another, vast numbers of individuals would have said police were overreacting."

Bobb and Brown said media coverage made the problems look worse than they were.

"Short of having the National Guard on every corner, you're not going to stop someone from throwing a match in a garbage can or a brick though a window, " Brown said.

POST-GAME MAYHEM

Oakland is far from alone in suffering post-championship mayhem. Denver faced similar problems when the Broncos won Super Bowls in 1998 and 1999, as did Los Angeles when the Lakers won the NBA title three years ago.

This year, however, neither San Diego, which hosted the Super Bowl, nor Tampa reported any significant trouble.

Raiders senior assistant Bruce Allen said the Oakland melees put a damper on the team's entire season.

"That's not the way we want to be remembered for this season," he said. "The game is supposed to be rough on the field, not off the field."

For many people, the loss for Oakland is much greater than failing to bring home a Super Bowl trophy.

"This is really embarrassing. It brings tears to my eyes," said resident Rebecca Anderson, who was caught in the ruckus when six men jumped on her car.

"First there was the killing and the drugs, now the destruction," said Anderson. "I'm ready to leave. This was the last straw for me."


NO DECISION ON PARADE

While the Super Bowl has been decided, whether Oakland will fete the Raiders remains up in the air.

No win means no victory parade. But city officials are still waiting to talk to team representatives about a rally honoring the American Football Conference champions.

"We have a little more breathing room and a chance for dialogue," city marketing manager Samee Roberts said Monday.

Raiders senior assistant Bruce Allen said the team, which was returning from San Diego on Monday, would discuss the matter with the city.

-- Chronicle staff

Chronicle staff writers Stacy Finz, Henry K. Lee and Rick DelVecchio contributed to this report. / E-mail Janine DeFao at jdefao@sfchronicle.com.

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OAKLAND MAYHEM

Critics say cops should have halted mayhem

How night played out amid tumult on streets

City image takes a hit with riots, many say

Morse: In the 'hood, it's not about the Raiders

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