In April, Oakland, California police, without provocation, fired wooden bullets and concussion grenades at anti-war protesters gathered at the Port of Oakland. The incident cast the police in an ugly light and their brutality was questioned by many.

It seems this time, however, they might not be solely to blame. Days before the incident, the California Anti-Terrorism Information Center warned police that protesters intended to stop operations and perhaps carry out acts of terror.

The evidence? According to CATIC spokesperson Mike Van Winkle, “If you have a protest group protesting war where the cause that’s being fought against is international terrorism, you might have terrorism at that protest. You could almost argue that a protest against that is a terrorist act.”

Still, CATIC won’t bear all the responsibility. As far as they’re concerned, they just write the stuff. It’s up to police to decide how to respond.

» Scott Saxon