CyberBucSal
01-27-2003, 02:17 AM
Tear gas and police in Oakland streets after Raiders' Super Bowl loss
By The Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Rowdy crowds set cars on fire and threw rocks and bottles at passing vehicles in the wake of the Oakland Raiders' Super Bowl loss Sunday, while police in riot gear used tear gas and huge squads of officers to respond to the trouble.
No details were immediately available about arrests or injuries, but some parts of Oakland were the scene of repeated running skirmishes between police officers and crowds.
At least two cars were set on fire, and a television news van had its windows broken. One group of young men set debris on fire in the middle of a street and then posed for news photographers. 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.
When the trouble broke out, huge squads of officers marched through the streets, and authorities closed off some areas of the city.
Police officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
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."
By The Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Rowdy crowds set cars on fire and threw rocks and bottles at passing vehicles in the wake of the Oakland Raiders' Super Bowl loss Sunday, while police in riot gear used tear gas and huge squads of officers to respond to the trouble.
No details were immediately available about arrests or injuries, but some parts of Oakland were the scene of repeated running skirmishes between police officers and crowds.
At least two cars were set on fire, and a television news van had its windows broken. One group of young men set debris on fire in the middle of a street and then posed for news photographers. 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.
When the trouble broke out, huge squads of officers marched through the streets, and authorities closed off some areas of the city.
Police officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
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."