Dozens of people took to the streets of Oakland on the eve of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
And while two peaceful protests were taking place Thursday night, Oakland police were preparing for bigger protests Friday and Saturday.
The collective message Thursday night was "We will not be silent." It came from dozens who marched to City Hall in what they dubbed a call to action.
"This will not stand; we will resist, and we will rise against his administration," a protester said.
The call to action was a preview of sorts for Friday’s general strike against Trump. Oakland police are ready for the protest to turn violent.
"We have done a lot of training," police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said. "We’ve trained in crowd management, different tactics and strategies. We’ve also trained in de-escalation."
Days off for officers have been canceled.
Local
"I want to strongly encourage demonstrators to keep in mind that Trump may be a source of hate, but the local Oakland businesses are not the enemy," Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan said.
Businesses in downtown Oakland are boarding up, preparing for protesters to take their frustration out on them. It’s happened many times in past protests.
Peace also was one of the underlying themes Thursday night, with concerns that the new administration may encourage violence.
"I think we need to look at ways in which Trump, in his own crazy, bizarre, ugly, nasty way, can empower us and not make us weaker," protester Bruce Schmichen said.
