By Melissa Bell

Downtown Oakland erupted Tuesday night with police and protesters clashing across the city, in an attempt to disperse crowds of around 1,000 people participating in the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations.


Police prepare to enter Occupy Oakland's City Hall encampment. (Noah Berger/AP)

The problems began early Tuesday morning when police raided the Occupy Oakland encampment outside City Hall, turning over tents, arresting around a hundred people and escorting people out of Snow Park, where they had been living for the past two weeks. In the afternoon, protesters gathered in the center of the city, saying they would reclaim their encampment, despite the police and city officials saying it was now illegal to stay there overnight.When the protesters marched back toward the encampment, skirmishes broke out. According to the Associated Press:

The scene has repeated itself several times since. But each time officers move to disperse the crowd, protesters quickly gather again in assemblies that authorities have declared illegal. Tensions rise as protesters edge closer to police line and climax when someone throws a bottle or rock and authorities response with volleys of gas.”

Follow the events from last night below and follow The Post’s Occupy Oakland Twitter list here.