Posted on 01/27/2003 2:29:40 AM PST by Rodney King
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Rowdy crowds that took to the streets after the Oakland Raiders' Super Bowl defeat left parts of the city strewn with broken glass, charred hulks of burned cars and a fast-food restaurant with nearly every window broken.
Police in riot gear responded with rubber bullets and tear gas, and briefly closed some stretches of city streets. At least 23 people were arrested, mostly for public drunkeness, authorities said.
About 10 vehicles were set on fire, and crowds broke the windows of at least one television news van, police and witnesses said. One group of young men set debris on fire in the middle of a street and then posed for news photographers. Rioters broke nearly every window at a McDonalds restaurant, which was also set on fire.
Fire officials said three firefighters suffered minor injuries.
Tear gas wafted through the area, and some witnesses picked up rubber bullets fired by police. After the Raiders advanced to the Super Bowl last week, crowds set fires, broke windows and threw rocks and bottles. Oakland officials had vowed to prevent a repetition of the violence following the Super Bowl, and hundreds of extra officers were assigned to work Sunday.
Some shop owners in the area of last week's violence closed at kickoff time in hopes of avoiding trouble. At Q's Clothing, Nader Qutov, the owner's nephew, said he was closing early, although before the game he also hawked Raiders t-shirts to eager fans.
Many of the Raider faithful flocked to watch the game at Ricky's Sports Theater and Grill, where more than 80 televisions show every Raider game and diehard fans can comb through the gift shop for Raider keepsakes. "I drove an hour and a half just to be with my family," said a Raider fan who insists on going by the name of Gorilla Rilla. "We are a Raider family." For the team's first trip to the Super Bowl in almost two decades, Ricky's owner brought in a 20-foot, high-definition television and added a $25 cover charge. Some fans made sure they arrived in time. Dennis Giovanetti said he showed up at Ricky's at 7 a.m. to make sure he could get a prime seat. "My breakfast was reading the paper," he said. "I couldn't be here early enough."
Kalifonicatia ... go figger.
BTW, the Raiders sure stunk last night. As Madden kept pointing out, they didn't have any *fire* most of the game. It looked to me like the Raiders just showed up and sort of went through the motions. The Bucs played like they REALLY wanted to win, and played a great game.
The same thing was said of the Eagles the week before, and of SF before that.
It's not that they didn't show up, it's that the Buc's defense took the "fire" out of them.
Same thing happened to Vick and Favre. Good quarterbacks usually don't perform well against TB, especially quarterbacks that like to throw. They get flustered, and then they are open to receptions. Happened with the Eagles, happened with the Raiders.
They tried, they just couldn't do it.
You may well be right. The Raiders seeming apathy would then be due to the fact that they knew they were beat early on. The Buc's defense is awesome.
AFAIAC, we need to start responding with just a few well-placed real bullets, to the guys lighting fires and turning cars over. This nonsense would cease.
REAL bullets, indeed! My thinkin exactly. Rioters have gotten soft.
First, add up all the costs of damage, overtime pay for Police, Fire, and additional Personnel. Next, divide that total cost by the number of all arrested for rioting that night. Fine each rioter that "fair share".
Second, rubber bullets.
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