OAKLAND – Dozens of protesters were arrested Monday night, hours after they took over the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in Oakland and called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
More than 700 Jewish people and their allies occupied the building’s rotunda, many of them wearing matching black T-shirts declaring, “Jews Say Ceasefire Now” and “Not In Our Name.”
Organizers said the Jewish Voice for Peace protesters would not leave the building unless a ceasefire was called or they were forcibly removed.
By 8 p.m., police officers had begun clearing the building at 1301 Clay St., warning those gathered inside that they would be arrested for unlawful assembly if they remained.
In an interior room, protesters continued to sing “ceasefire now,” even as officers entered the space.
Organizers warned protesters not to resist arrest once officers started clearing the building.
“We’ll probably be arrested,” said Liv Kunins-Berkowitz, an organizer and Oakland resident. “There probably hasn’t been a mass sit-in at the federal building in a decade or so.”
Federal Protective Service police officers arrest protesters after they refused to disperse at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. Jewish-led groups called for a ceasefire in Gaza. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Not long after, officers began arresting protesters one by one on suspicion of unlawful assembly. The crowd cheered and applauded until it was their turn to be arrested.
“My grandmother and grandfather didn’t die in Germany for our history to be exploited to kill other people,” one protester said as she was led away. “Not one other time, for any people.”
But by 9:30 p.m., protesters still remained inside parts of the federal building.
The action was part of a national week of Jewish-led protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, according to organizers. It also came on the same day President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were in the Bay Area for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 2023 forum.
Other protests have taken place at Grand Central Station and the Statue of Liberty.
In a statement, the Oakland Police Department said it received reports of a protest at the building just after 4:15 p.m. Monday. Officers assisted the Federal Protective Service with escorting employees from the building as well as traffic control.
The building was cordoned off, but one opening on Martin Luther King Jr. Way allowed people to come and go well into the evening hours.
The Federal Protective Service did not immediately respond to message seeking comment on the protest.
Check back for updates.
Jewish-led groups protest and call for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Federal Protective Service police officers arrest protesters after they refused to disperse at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. Jewish-led groups called for a ceasefire in Gaza. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Jewish-led groups protest and call for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Federal Protective Service police officers arrest protesters after they refused to disperse at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. Jewish-led groups called for a ceasefire in Gaza. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Jewish-led groups protest and call for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Federal Protective Service police officers arrest protesters after they refused to disperse at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. Jewish-led groups called for a ceasefire in Gaza. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Jewish-led groups protest and call for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Jewish-led groups protest and call for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Jewish-led groups protest and call for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Local activist and filmmaker Boots Riley speaks as Jewish-led groups protest and call for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Jewish-led groups protest and call for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Federal Protective Service police officers arrest protesters after they refused to disperse at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. Jewish-led groups called for a ceasefire in Gaza. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Jewish-led groups protest and call for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Federal Protective Service police officers arrest protesters after they refused to disperse at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. Jewish-led groups called for a ceasefire in Gaza. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Jewish-led groups protest and call for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Federal Protective Service police officers arrest protesters after they refused to disperse at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. Jewish-led groups called for a ceasefire in Gaza. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Jewish-led groups protest and call for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Matthew Bridges leads a chant as Jewish-led groups protest and call for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Federal Protective Service police officers arrest protesters after they refused to disperse at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. Jewish-led groups called for a ceasefire in Gaza. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Penny Rosenwasser joins Jewish-led groups as they protest and call for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Jewish-led groups protest and call for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
