Facing mounting criticism from peace activists and city council members who charged they overreacted, Oakland police have launched an internal investigation and are reviewing a 75-minute videotape of Monday's demonstration at the Port of Oakland, where officers fired wooden dowels and rubber ``sting balls'' to disperse protesters.
The use of non-lethal projectiles is usually one of the final steps in an escalating series of tactics used to break up large crowds who refuse orders to disperse. If an order to disperse doesn't work, officers often form a line to push people out of the way, or resort to other methods from batons to pepper spray.
But the tactics can quickly change, especially if police feel they are threatened, and that's what Oakland police said happened Monday morning. Police said Capt. Rod Yee authorized the use of wooden dowels and bean bag rounds after protesters refused to disperse. Police also say some demonstrators threw metal bolts, rocks and used slingshots.
Peace activists, though, have their own video footage and numerous witnesses who say protesters didn't throw anything at police. About 50 protesters and nine dockworkers reported injuries.
Oakland council members Jane Brunner, Nancy Nadel and Jean Quan have called for a public hearing and an independent investigation.
``If people were throwing rocks, which I'm still not convinced is the case, then they need to be arrested, not shot at,'' said Nadel, who represents West Oakland and the port. ``I'm very concerned about what our tactics are, and I'd like to create a new section in the police department called the peacekeeping section that would work on conflict resolution. There ought to be a way to have better communication than what occurred on Monday.''
Other police officials and criminal justice experts said they can't say with certainty whether the Oakland police used excessive force because they weren't there.
The Oakland police fired wooden dowels and bean bags, and threw rubber sting balls, which send out a spray of BB-size rubber bullets and a cloud of tear gas, to disperse the crowd.
Video footage of the mayhem was widely viewed on television and cable stations across the country, and the department has been flooded with phone calls and e-mails that have both condemned and supported its response.
``There are a number of different tools in the police toolbox,'' said David Harris, an authority on police behavior at the University of Toledo Law School. ``But they are still weapons, and they can cause injury. Just because they are not lethal doesn't mean you don't need to be careful.''
Harris said that an investigation independent of any parties involved would be the best way to determine whether the Oakland police followed their own policies.
Numerous comparisons have been made between Oakland and San Francisco, where nearly 2,300 people were arrested for blocking intersections or office entrances. San Francisco police did not use non-lethal projectiles.
But the San Francisco has about 2,300 officers compared with Oakland's 777. ``Most of the folks are non-violent peaceful protesters,'' Oakland Police Chief Richard Word said, ``but some nasty tactics are used by some of those who mix in with the others. We did see people with slingshots yesterday. They don't carry Bibles in those backpacks.''
Mercury News Staff Writers Jessie Seyfer, Putsata Reang and John Woolfolk contributed to this report. Contact Dana Hull at dhull@mercurynews.com or (510) 790-7311.
