About 3,000 protesters took to the streets of Oakland on Wednesday night, following violent clashes between police and Occupy demonstrators late Tuesday. Police fired tear gas canisters and bean bag rounds at protesters. Protesters claim rubber bullets and flashbangs were used as well. A 24-year-old Iraq war veteran is in critical condition after being hit in the head with a police projectile. In New York, police arrested a dozen people Wednesday night during an Occupy solidarity march. Meanwhile in Atlanta, Mayor Kasim Reed ordered the evacuation of Occupy Atlanta protesters from the city’s Woodruff Park. That removal resulted in more than 50 arrests. Ali Winston, criminal justice reporter for KALW Radio in San Francisco, examines why the escalation took place.
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