"Rev. Jorge Bautista showed up to Dennison Road in East Oakland early in the morning of Oct. 23 with other clergy to protest the Trump administration's planned law enforcement surge in the Bay Area. He stood in the road with dozens of others as part of a Sanctuary Faith Vigil as approximately 10 trucks carrying Customs and Border Protection agents sped to the entrance of the lone bridge that ties Oakland to Coast Guard Island."
"One of the agents, wearing a camo helmet with a chin guard hiding much of his face and a ballistic vest with a CBP badge and POLICE emblazoned on the front, locked eyes with Bautista and stepped toward him, crossing the blue line and exiting federal land. The agent raised a large weapon, one that shoots less lethal projectiles, leveling it at the reverend's head."
"Bautista didn't think anything would happen. The agents had just lobbed some stun grenades toward the protesters, many of whom quickly retreated, but Bautista and others stayed in place. He was hoping to mediate, not believing they would fire anything directly at people's bodies, he said. We're here in peace, he recalls saying to the agent. Then boom! The agent, standing roughly five feet away, shot a cloud of noxious chemicals right into Bautista's face."
Clergy and dozens of protesters held a Sanctuary Faith Vigil on Dennison Road in East Oakland to oppose a planned law enforcement surge. About ten trucks carrying Customs and Border Protection agents arrived and moved toward the lone bridge connecting Oakland to Coast Guard Island, with support from the nearby Coast Guard base. Three eyewitnesses and photographs from three photographers documented agents exiting vehicles and approaching the crowd. One CBP agent crossed the blue line marking federal property, raised a less-lethal weapon, and discharged a cloud of noxious chemicals directly into Reverend Jorge Bautista's face, causing breathing difficulty and coating his mouth, face, and coat.
Read at www.berkeleyside.org
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