Protesters smashed a large window at President Obama’s<\/a> re-election campaign office in downtown Oakland late Friday night, tore down a nearby fence and vandalized cars<\/a>, according to police, witnesses and video\u00a0footage.<\/p>\n Staffers and volunteers were inside the Organizing for America office at 1714 Telegraph Ave. when it was vandalized after 9 p.m., but no one was hurt, said a staffer who declined to be identified. The office is a joint effort of the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee<\/a>.<\/p>\n When the window was broken, well over 100 people had joined what began as a rally against the city’s handling of growing crowds at the first-Friday-of-the-month event called Art Murmur, a gallery crawl centered in the Uptown arts district from 6 to 9 p.m.<\/p>\n Protesters – who included Occupy Oakland activists – said the city was cracking down on vendors and performers who came into the neighborhood during the gallery crawl without permits. Until June, the galleries had closed down a block of 23rd Street, but the approach got too expensive and\u00a0hectic.<\/p>\n Danielle Fox<\/a>, who directs Art Murmur and owns a gallery called Slate Contemporary, said of the vandalism: “It’s very unfortunate and we’re very concerned, because our commitment is that when people come to visit the galleries, they should have a safe and positive cultural\u00a0experience.”<\/p>\n City Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente<\/a> said the frequency of vandalism at downtown protests was “unacceptable” and hurt restaurants and other\u00a0businesses.<\/p>\n “It’s continuing to be bad publicity for us and the merchants trying to revitalize downtown,” he said. “Art Murmur is something that is getting bigger and becoming a destination for people. Obviously, this is something that is not good for the\u00a0city.”<\/p>\n The vandalism happened a little more than a day after someone damaged two Oakland police cars near City Hall and attempted to break a window at a police station early\u00a0Thursday.<\/p>\n A group calling itself the East Bay Uncontrollables said it was responsible for the attack and called it a reaction to a federal investigation into anarchist\u00a0activity.<\/p>\n Lauren Smith<\/a>, a 30-year-old activist, said the goal of Friday’s demonstration was to “create a space where people could have their social gatherings without asking permission from the city and the police\u00a0department.”<\/p>\n She said she was not at the rally but watched it live online. She said she did not agree with vandalizing cars, but that the window-smashing at the campaign office was\u00a0justified.<\/p>\n “People feel betrayed by Obama. … I’m surprised it hasn’t happened before now,” she said. “Oakland is a place where people are really struggling. When the pressure is released just a little bit, you see people go after those things that they see as responsible for the\u00a0conditions.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Demian Bulwa – S. F. Chronicle Saturday, August 4, 2012 Protesters smashed a large window at President Obama’s re-election campaign office in downtown Oakland late Friday night, tore down a nearby fence and vandalized cars, according to police, witnesses and … Continue reading