The crowd included both supporters and opponents of the 25-day-old squatter village of campers who are protesting economic inequality. Camp supporters and demonstrators at the meeting frequently shouted down Council President Larry Reid, interim Police Chief Howard Jordan and City Administrator Deanna Santana, who all presented updates on the camp, which as of Thursday had about 165 tents.
Councilwoman Nancy Nadel, who represents the downtown area, intended to ask the council to adopt a resolution Thursday to sanction a long-term camp at Frank Ogawa Plaza in front of City Halll.
But her resolution was strongly opposed by some people at the meeting, including residents and business groups that said the encampment has been destructive to the city's ability to attract and retain business and provide jobs. Hours into the meeting, Nadel said she would postpone seeking a vote on the resolution.
On Thursday afternoon, representatives from the Occupy Oakland media committee read a statement saying participants supported the goal of reclaiming empty buildings to serve the public but regretted that their daylong downtown demonstration was marred by an "autonomous" group.
"It is unfortunate that the unprecedented mobilization and engagement of tens of thousands of our neighborhood in this beautiful Oakland city should be marred by broken windows and graffiti," Laura Long said, reading the statement. "Occupy Oakland does not advocate violence and has no interest in supporting actions that endanger the community and possibilities that it has worked to build."
The group released a statement Thursday night saying it doesn't support vandalism but would not take an official position until Friday's night "General Assembly" meeting.
So far, few cities have reached the level of Oakland, a unique place with a long history of tensions between residents and police.
Bob Norkus at the Occupy Boston camp said the riots didn't represent the broader movement and likely wouldn't have a lasting effect on it, either. The movement is still evolving and mistakes are inevitable, he said.
It "has to be nonviolent, or else it will just end. We won't get the support," he said. "It doesn't mean you can't agitate people. But you can't also be breaking windows and burning."
Police in riot gear arrested dozens of protesters in downtown Oakland, where bands of masked protesters took over a vacant building, erected roadblocks and threw chunks of concrete and firebombs. Five people and several officers were injured.
Oakland officials said 103 people had been arrested by 3 p.m. Thursday, including two 17-year-olds who were cited and released.
Chris Hedges, who was demonstrating at Goldman Sachs' headquarters in New York, said the clashes in Oakland are a reminder to protesters that they should only respond peacefully to police actions.
Brenda Jamison, a mother of four who lives downtown, watched the disturbance from her window and prayed for it to stop. She said the police acted appropriately when they tried to separate the disruptive protesters causing damage from the peaceful masses.
"I don't feel like I'm home," she said. "It's not an issue of black and white. You just have these people who come out looking for an excuse to tear up everything. It's not right."
Protesters and police then faced off in an uneasy standoff until the wee hours of the morning.
It is the kind of posture that Oakland is familiar with, with clashes erupting during the 1960s-era protests over the Vietnam War and the draft, among other issues. More recently, in 2009 and 2010, the city was the scene of violent demonstrations over the killing of an unarmed black man by a white transit officer. Downtown businesses were looted, windows smashed and fires set.
Then, as now, police blamed the violence on a small group of anarchists, many from outside the city.
Officials said 18 windows were broken in the area of the violence. About two dozen businesses had damaged storefronts. Most of them were chain stores, including Burger King and Foot Locker.
People who participated in the daytime protests returned to help sweep up debris and scrub off graffiti.
Shari Rivers, the manager of a Tully's Coffee located on the city hall plaza, was busy cleaning up Thursday morning after protesters broke windows, stole some property and knocked over the cash register overnight.
"I cried. It's very disheartening. I am part of the 99 percent and have supported this movement," she said, adding that she blamed the city for letting the protest get out of hand. She added, "This shouldn't happen in a U.S. city."
Associated Press writers Justin Juozapavicius in Tulsa, Okla., Marcus Wohlsen in San Francisco, Terry Collins and Haven Daley in Oakland, Calif., Nigel Duara in Portland, Ore., Ivan Moreno in Denver, Jay Lindsay in Boston, Verena Dobnik in New York and Christina Hoag in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
All about:Boston, USA Today, Fox News, The New York Times, New York City , Chicago, Washington, D.C., Oakland City Hall, Occupy Oakland, Jean Quan We are the 99%
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