Trayvon protester bashes Oakland waiter in the face with ‘hammer’ as violence, flag burnings continue

Witnesses in Oakland have described the horrific scene where pro-Trayvon Martin protesters attacked a local restaurant.

Source: @Josh_Richman twitter

“It was gruesome.”

He is referring to the part of the protest/march where a waiter at that restaurant stood up to one of the protesters and was pummeled in the face with a hammer-like object because of it.

“Protesters with black masks approached the window and tried to bang at it,” bartender Phillip Ricafort told the Oakland Tribune. “(The waiter) said, ‘Don’t do that!’ and the guy turned around and smacked him in the face with a hammer.”

The restaurant, Flora’s, was also the target of vandals over the weekend, which could explain why the fed-up waiter stepped in to try and protect the establishment.

The man’s co-workers were helping him ice his head on a chair in the back of the restaurant as they waited for an ambulance. Police also stopped to check on them before marching on.

The evening began peacefully, though police were soon challenged as protesters shifted directions in an attempt to stay ahead of the officers keeping tabs on them.

Protesters chanted “Trayvon” as they marched through downtown Oakland and then around Lake Merritt. Several protesters wearing masks tagged buildings as they marched. An American flag was burned at the intersection of Lakeshore and El Embarcadero near the eastern tip of Lake Merritt.