Police Say Alleged Calif. Gunman Sought to Kill Nonprofit Leaders

The man charged with trying to kill four California Highway Patrol officers during a shootout in Oakland on Sunday told police he was on his way to gun down workers at the American Civil Liberties Union and the Tides Foundation, an environmental organization, the San Francisco Chronicle writes.

Oakland police say Byron Williams, a twice-convicted bank robber, told them he planned to “start a revolution” by killing leaders of the nonprofit groups, both of which have offices in San Francisco.

The Tides Foundation, which finances environmental and social-justice projects, has been a frequent target of the Fox News personality Glenn Beck, according to the political-news Web site Talking Points Memo.

On his radio and television shows, Mr. Beck has characterized Tides as being part of a liberal cabal trying to spread socialism and linked it to radical groups such as the Weather Underground and the New Black Panther Party.