Watch CBS News

Phil Matier: The New Normal For Bay Area Protests

You can hear Phil Matier's comments Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — Tuesday night marked the fourth night in a row of protests over the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown during confrontations with police.

The demonstration that started in Berkeley and ended up in Oakland prompted a closure of Highway 24. Meanwhile, dozens of people smashed and looted a closed Pak-n-Save in Emeryville while others struck a 7-Eleven where the employees were reportedly threatened.

Phil Matier: The New Normal For Bay Area Protests

Civil disobedience and protesting are part of a longtime American tradition—they are the backbone of the nation—but Martin Luther King Jr. did not march to Selma, Alabama in the dead of night. Cesar Chavez did not trash the 7-Eleven in Delano. Even Che Guevara—one the 20th century's biggest revolutionaries in the Americas—didn't wear face mask. He put his face, his name and his identity out there to make a statement.

Under the cover of night, these demonstrations in the East Bay are like floating protests/parties that get out of hand.

So, what are the local politicians doing?

I've spoken to city council members from Oakland and Berkeley including Kriss Worthington, who was looking for volunteers to help monitor the demonstration. But I didn't hear anyone suggest that maybe it was time to cool off.

Trying to facilitate these protests is like throwing a kegger and then getting upset when someone breaks a window—it's just inevitable and it's been happening night after night.

These protests are also challenging the way Bay Area law enforcement officials have dealt with protests in the recent past, where there have been ground rules in place that generally prevented violence.

San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr has often stressed the importance of talking to organizers and figuring it all out so everyone gets to speak their minds so that no one gets hurt and everyone goes home happy.

Everything changes, however, when people don't want to go home happy.

Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates cancelled Tuesday night's council meeting because more than 1,000 protesters had planned to attend. They gathered instead on the steps of City Hall where they heard from Councilmembers Worthington, Jesse Arreguin and others who were upset; they wanted to try to contain the demonstration there and to use it as some kind of teaching moment.

Whether that would have worked or not, I'm not sure but the point is that this is how elected officials are handling it—they hit it and then they go. Their message: This is the way it is; it's unfortunate but we are going to cope with it.

So until things change: it's traffic, weather and protesters together. Stay tuned to KCBS!

RELATED:

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.