June 17, 2011: Second Anticut Demo in Oakland

June 17 2011, the second anti-austerity Anticut demo was held in Oakland days before the city’s budget announcement. With 14 libraries on the chopping block, organizers with book shields led a march downtown before holding a rally in front of the main branch library.

Starting from Latham Square, the march moved out toward Citibank at 14th and Broadway. The bank shuttered its doors before the crowd could enter, momentarily disrupting business. The march moved on to the nearby Wells Fargo where they briefly disrupted bank activities.

As the march circled back toward 14th Street multiple arrests were made as police randomly pulled people from the crowd. The march kept moving, making its way toward the public library on Madison Street.

On the library steps, the crowd gathered and held a rally, demanding that not a single library close. Librarians came out to voice their support for the demonstration and criticize the city’s austerity measures which threatened to close all but four public libraries in Oakland.