After protests in Oakland erupted into a chaotic scene Wednesday, with police deploying tear gas against massive crowds, MC Hammer joined a chorus of outraged citizens who said law enforcement had gone too far. Taking to Twitter, the '90s hip hop star, who was present during the protests, came to the defense of the demonstrators marching in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement that began in downtown New York.
"The unabated abuse of the PEOPLE can never be tolerated!!!" Hammer tweeted. "They were expressing systemic frustration and pain, peacefully."
The veteran emcee-turned-preacher suggested the actions of the protesters in Oakland were the natural result of a crippled economy.
"You knew this would happen. You cannot eliminate the middle class and expect quiet resolution," he wrote.
Referencing the Occupy movement's rallying principle that the wealthiest one percent of Americans wield the power in the country while the remaining 99 percent are left behind, Hammer later offered an olive branch to the other side, saying not all those with money and influence are insensitive to the needs of the less well-off.
"Now is the time to define who is the 1% There are many who are successful and give to Causes that impact the community directly," he argued.
In Oakland yesterday, protesters marching outside of City Hall reached an estimated 3,000 in number. Police are said to have arrested over one hundred citizens at the scene, while at least one was gravely injured.

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