Oakland crowds leave wake of debris after Super Bowl

By RON HARRIS
Associated Press Writer

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) 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 responded to the trouble Sunday night with rubber bullets, tear gas and huge squads of officers that sought to disperse the crowds. At least 25 people were arrested, mostly for public drunkeness, authorities said.

Hoping to avoid rioting, police had assigned hundreds of extra officers to work Sunday, but as crowds gathered after the game, trouble broke out.

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.

Tear gas wafted through the area, and some witnesses picked up rubber bullets fired by police.

Police closed off some streets as the trouble shifted through various areas of East Oakland.

It was the second week in a row that violence occurred after a Raiders game. The previous week, after the team advanced to the Super Bowl, crowds set fires, broke windows and threw rocks and bottles along International Boulevard, the same area where the violence occurred after the championship game.

Some shop owners in the area 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.''

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)