Developer with shotgun scared off Oakland rioters
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, November 3, 2011 More... (11-03) 14:46 PDT OAKLAND -- Oakland developer Phil Tagami is used to working behind the scenes to broker some of the biggest deals in town. Late Wednesday, he was using different persuasive skills - holding a loaded shotgun to scare away rioters trying to get into a downtown building.
"We had people who were attempted to break into our building," the landmark Rotunda Building on Frank Ogawa Plaza outside City Hall, Tagami said today. He grabbed a shotgun that he usually keeps at home, went down to the ground floor and "discouraged them," he said.
No police were in sight, he said.
"Basically, people were pushing to get through the door," he said. "I was standing there and they saw me there, and I lifted it - I didn't point it - I just held it in my hands. And I just racked it, and they ran."
Although they didn't get inside the building - Tagami, 46, oversaw its $50 million renovation and has an office there - vandals did scrawl graffiti on the outside walls during the post-midnight riot that broke out after Occupy Oakland's daylong general strike.
The Rotunda Building was far from the only target. Graffiti was spray-painted on many buildings along Broadway from 14th to 16th streets. Masked vandals shattered windows, started fires and threw objects at police, including lit flares and powerful M-1000 firecrackers.
Officers responded by firing tear gas and flash-bang grenades and arresting at least 80 people on suspicion of remaining at the scene of a riot. One was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism after an officer spotted the protester breaking a window, police said.
Another protester, Eric Benard, 37, was arrested on suspicion of obstructing police, battery on a police officer and assault causing great bodily injury.
Five civilians were hurt along with three police officers, one of whom was bitten by a protester, said interim Police Chief Howard Jordan. About 400 officers from 14 law-enforcement agencies took part in the overnight action, he said.
As the sun rose, downtown Oakland business owners were again assessing the damage, much as they did after a series of protests related to the killing of unarmed BART rider Oscar Grant in 2009.
Crews were boarding up broken windows at the Tully's Coffee shop just steps from Frank Ogawa Plaza at 14th and Broadway, center of the nearly monthlong Occupy Oakland movement. Graffiti was sprayed on the Rite Aid and Walgreens drugstores across from each other at 14th and Broadway.
Vandals also scrawled messages and broke windows at the Oakland Police Department's internal affairs and recruiting office on the plaza.
"All cops are bastards," one message read.
The smell of cleaning chemicals was everywhere.
City Administrator Deanna Santana apologized to business owners for the "chaotic events" that have enveloped the city.
Mayor Jean Quan called the rioters "a small and isolated group."
"It shouldn't mar the overall impact of the demonstration and the fact that people in the 99 percent movement demonstrated peacefully and, for the most part, were productive and very peaceful."
Tagami disagreed, calling the Occupy Oakland encampment "basically concealment and cover for anarchists who are doing this to our city."
"We're very concerned that a group of people can be allowed to do this type of destruction to our town and to our image without any repercussions," Tagami said. "They need to be held accountable."
He rejected assertions that the anarchists were a small minority, saying, "No, you can't have it both ways."
Tagami said he had been working late at the Rotunda Building on Wednesday when he and the janitorial staff were essentially locked inside because of the unrest. He had brought his shotgun from home because he knew he'd be working late, as he does most nights.
"I support a peaceful protest," he said. "But it was a siege situation last night, and quite frankly, I'm glad we were here. But I never want to have to do that again."
Other businesses that professed support for Occupy Oakland's general strike didn't escape the damage.
At the Men's Wearhouse, which had closed Wednesday and put up signs in support of the strike, windows were shattered. A box nearby read, "Cop uniform surrender box." No police uniforms were inside.
Many Occupy Oakland sympathizers were dismayed by the damage, and some tried to do something about it today.
Leandro Marques, 33, and two women were scrubbing graffiti at noontime from the facade of Genji, a Japanese restaurant in the City Hall plaza.
"I'm not happy with the way a few people are trying to take the movement," said Marques, an auto engineer who lives in Berkeley. "People were so excited with what was happening yesterday. People should have gone to sleep and regained their energy."
He added, "Doing things to small businesses is about the worst thing you can do. You're hurting people who are poor like you."
Rachel Konte, owner of Oakllectiv, said her designer clothing shop had its plate glass window smashed and hundreds of dollars of T-shirts stolen.
"Someone texted us at 3 a.m. and said our store was being vandalized," Konte said. "Some protesters guarded our store for us. We're so thankful and grateful for that. It could have been devastating."
She said, "We're still committed to Oakland. I don't know who vandalized us, but I bet they don't live here. This is a wonderful community and we're definitely staying."
Chronicle staff writers Carolyn Jones and Demian Bulwa contributed to this report.
E-mail Henry K. Lee at hlee@sfchronicle.com.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/03/BACM1LQ5FU.DTL________________________
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Good for him. Too bad he didnt take out a bunch of these communist zombies.
