Occupy Oakland and general strike call - updates and discussion

The police attack on Occupy Oakland has become a flash point. Apparently there was a solidarity rally in front of the US Embassy in Cairo. The New York Times and The Washington Post floated a propaganda bubble about how cities are getting fed up with #Occupy and it's time to shut it down. Public opinion didn't take the bait, and a few city officials have back peddled on plans to raid encampments. I'm not certain what will happen next, but a successful general strike even of one day's duration will count as a victory and encourage more actions, hopefully work place occupations and sit down strikes. We'll see.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Plan to break up Occupy Oakland camp took a week

Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross, Chronicle Columnist

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Oakland began preparing to dismantle the Occupy camp in front of City Hall a week ago, when interim Police Chief Howard Jordan and City Administrator Deanna Santana put out the call for neighboring jurisdictions to provide some of the hundreds of cops who wound up being mustered early Tuesday.

On Friday, two days after those two had set the process in motion, Mayor Jean Quan abandoned her initial support for the protest and came to the same conclusion as they had: The camp was a hazard to public safety and health, and had to go.

The questions were how, and when.

First up, timing. It would take at least five days to arrange the influx of police from other jurisdictions, and anyway, Occupy forces were planning a big march Saturday. That meant Monday at the earliest.

In the meantime, the plan was to try to thin the crowd by sending in social workers to lure away some of the hard-core homeless who had joined the campers.

On Monday, fire officials went through removing propane tanks that could serve as weapons against police.

By then, Quan had gotten out of Dodge - flying to Washington for long-scheduled meetings designed to raise money for developing the old Oakland Army Base.

The mayor, who has been taking hits over her public safety policies, was concerned about how it would look for her to be out of town when the cops made their move - but not concerned enough to cancel, feeling that her new police chief could handle the situation.

Hmm. Call me skeptical, but until I see official union participation, I don't think this will go anywhere towards what we think of the term. Possibly a bigger demo than usual, but other than that, I don't know. I mean to go from a relatively tame protest of 1,500 to a general strike in a week seems like a massive, impossible jump.

Agreed, but part of my point is the push for a general strike is strong enough to lay down a marker for the future, whether or not they come close to a complete shut-down. In less than a year, we've gone from general strike as a private ideal within limited circles, to the subject of public agitation within social struggles, to a small but real initiative emerging from within a struggle. I'm not claiming this will be a wildcat insurrectional mass strike with 95% participation, but it is a real next step that deserves serious support.

Circulating news and organizing solidarity demos will help put the word about the Oakland general strike on everyone's lips. And the more that there's a national buzz (that would get a small push-start, for example, with an official solidarity announcement from the IWW), the more likely it is that the leftier unions will jump on the bandwagon and honor the strike locally in the Bay.

Agreed with Roughy (I fucking love some orange ruffy, btw, beautiful fish), just the fact that in the last year we've had talk of a general strike in the US....that's just fucking massive in itself.

It seems to me that calling a general strike without actually being able to effect one is not laying the basis for anything except potentially demoralisation.

It's remotely possible that some people will strike, despite the fact that the time frame was ridiculously small between the call and the date, but I think it's unlikely.

More sensible would be to take the small steps which would actually make such a thing more likely. Ask locals to come and support the occupation with their banners and give a speech. Try to get the ILWU out there to talk about police repression. Make links, and maybe some union members will stay and get their arses beaten by the police drawing in the rest in solidarity.

When you call a general strike completely independently from the workers who will be doing it, it sounds a bit like: "Hey you, I need some solidarity so why don't you stick your neck out and give it when I tell you."

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Occupy Oakland protesters boo Quan off the stage

Will Kane,Demian Bulwa, Chronicle Staff Writers

Friday, October 28, 2011

(10-28) 09:42 PDT OAKLAND -- Oakland Mayor Jean Quan was booed off the stage by Occupy Oakland protesters Thursday night as she tried to speak at their general assembly.

Quan was standing in line to speak at the forum on Frank Ogawa Plaza around 11 p.m. when the group began booing and chanting, "Go away."

Quan, who has taken heat for the police action Tuesday night in which officers fired tear gas at Occupy protesters, walked into City Hall without saying anything.

Police peacefully removed demonstrators from the plaza outside City Hall early Tuesday, only to launch tear gas and seriously injure one demonstrator when protesters returned that evening. Police officials said they had acted in response to instances of protesters throwing objects and paint at officers.

The clash attracted international attention, and Quan, who was in Washington, D.C., on a lobbying trip when it happened, was criticized for saying she hadn't known exactly when police were going to clear out the Occupy camp.

In a video message she posted on her Facebook page, Quan said she was "deeply saddened about the outcome" Tuesday night. "It was not what anyone hoped for, ultimately it was my responsibility, and I apologize for what happened."

She added, "When there's violence, there are no winners - it polarizes us and opens old wounds."

Quan recorded the message Thursday night in City Hall, before her attempt to address Occupy Oakland directly. Chants and cheers from the demonstrators could be heard in the background.

The mayor added, "We're asking you, again, not to camp overnight," and said protesters needed to keep the plaza clean and open to public safety workers.

Quan told KQED-FM that she had posted the message on Facebook because she didn't think she'd be able to speak at the rally.

The mayor's failed attempt to address the crowd came at the end of a day in which Occupy Oakland protesters reclaimed the battleground plaza at 14th Street and Broadway. City officials had said they would not allow people in the plaza between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., but the dozens of people who pitched tents there Thursday slept overnight undisturbed by police.

Protesters resurrected the camp's "Kid Zone" and planned to bring back its kitchen and medical tent. As the day wore on, they danced, received acupuncture and massage treatments and talked about plans for a citywide strike Wednesday.

Many said Tuesday morning's raid on the camp had hardened their resolve to live in the plaza as part of the worldwide Occupy Wall Street movement.

"That's what this whole thing is about - occupying public space," said Josh Chavanne, 29, of Oakland, one of several people who have moved back into the plaza. "We're here because many of us believe it is our right as human beings to decolonize property."

But the rebuilding effort - and the lack of immediate action by the city - frustrated some officials who warned that allowing demonstrators to dig in again would lead to inevitable conflict.

"We can't just be observers," said City Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente, who said downtown businesses had lost money since the occupation began Oct. 10. "We have to enforce the rules and the laws for everyone. Unfortunately, I don't think the mayor and some other people agree with that, and so here we are."

De La Fuente said he agreed with the Occupy movement's pursuit of economic equality, but added, "I do not support doing it at the expense of other people and violating other people's rights."

City officials said they were assessing what to do about the fledgling rebuilding effort, but declined to speculate on what would happen if the camp returns in full flower.

"Right now, as long as it's nonviolent, the plan is to let a peaceful protest take place," said Sgt. Jeff Thomason, a police spokesman.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan attempts to get in line to speak during an open mic session outside of Oakland City Hall at the Occupy Oakland camp in Frank Ogawa Square on Thursday, October 27, 2011 in Oakland, Calif.

When you call a general strike completely independently from the workers who will be doing it, it sounds a bit like: "Hey you, I need some solidarity so why don't you stick your neck out and give it when I tell you."

I'm not sure what you want me to say. And maybe some of that unclarity is also because it's not clear what subject position you're adopting. Are you implying that you are in Oakland, that you have comrades in Oakland who are keeping you up to date, or that you've read enough on the internet (I'm not dissing this either) and that you thus know that the call for the general strike is actually completely independent from "the workers?" If so, I could accept that, or at least we could have a more nuanced conversation, but I have comrades in Oakland that I trust, comrades who I trust despite what I think of as their cynicism, who've communicated that they think there's actual potential.

If the only possible actor in a general strike is the big-P proletariat (itself a caricature of the actual proletariat) already organized into major unions, then I'll concede my argument regardless of your background information or subject position. But in another thread, Hieronymous has already pointed out some of the fallacious thinking that informs this particular strain of nay-saying.

As I've said before, I do think it would be a step forward if those particular unions who stake their reputation on possessing a certain image of militantcy were successfully pressured into honoring the strike. But assessing links with the class on the basis of the participation of a broad coalition of unions in this process seems neither useful nor desirable. We're speaking about a social atmosphere in which there's been a sudden and considerable delegitimation of not only of the high city officialdom, but also a wide strata of social managers who can normally be trusted with neutralizing any possible eruption of the class struggle. One in which there's increasingly broad support for struggle in streets, and no longer just against the police (which has been in place to varying degrees since January 1st 2009), but for a struggle that's articulated a vocal anti-capitalism. One in which there's a recent history of struggles spreading with surprising speed at least through neighborhoods and schools if not yet the workplaces. And one in which there are not only 2-3000 person autonomous assemblies convening (and refusing dialogue with politicians!) but in which these assemblies seem to be representing a somewhat broader cross-section of the population than usual (though even if the 1400 people who voted yes on the strike were really all just anarchists, middle class liberals, students, and leftists, that would still represent quite a few different workplaces, schools, crusty squats, etc. where pro-strike agitation would take place).

Yes, I do share your concern about demoralization. But honestly, that gamble's already been taken by the only people it will really effect, those in the GA in Oakland. If people around the country throw their support behind the strike and it fizzles, sure we'll be disappointed, but we'll have tasted the possibility and spread the notion that political strikes can even be conceived of. We won't really suffer more than if we invest than if we talk shit on the internet. But if it fizzles, the wider struggle in Oakland will likely fizzle, even if you refuse to extend solidarity because it wasn't realistic in the first place. That said, I'd even be down to talk more about these risks and about demoralization, but more has to be brought to the table than the surprising and unexpected news that the AFL-CIO hasn't endorsed the call yet.

In reply to Jacobian, orange.ruffy wrote I'm not sure what you want me to say. And maybe some of that unclarity is also because it's not clear what subject position you're adopting. Are you implying that you are in Oakland, that you have comrades in Oakland who are keeping you up to date, or that you've read enough on the internet (I'm not dissing this either) and that you thus know that the call for the general strike is actually completely independent from "the workers?" If so, I could accept that, or at least we could have a more nuanced conversation, but I have comrades in Oakland that I trust, comrades who I trust despite what I think of as their cynicism, who've communicated that they think there's actual potential.

Jacobian's had a lot to say on the Greek labyrinth thread too, so I think he's "read enough on the internet".

Take gambles... nothing to lose... if it comes off - all the better. Interesting times.

To Wellclose: Sorry if I was being too indirect, but I was also hoping that if Jacobian is drawing on background information, available on the internet or otherwise, that indicates that the general strike call is "completely" separate from the workers, they would provide it. This isn't meant as a challenge- having more to go on for this conversation than just having a "good" feeling or "bad" feeling about the strike, or what your unnamed friends and comrades are supposedly telling you (i.e. my case) would allow the discussion to develop.

To be clear, I'm going on friends, on poking all around twitter and other social networks, my occasionally direct experience of Oakland over the past few years, on media capitalist and otherwise, and posts here and on bayofrage. But the broad strokes being painted against supporting the strike seem really inadequate to me.

Admin: snip

Yeah, fair play orange, suppose I'm not very trusting... Hope it comes off.

Admin: snip

orange.ruffy

To Wellclose: Sorry if I was being too indirect, but I was also hoping that if Jacobian is drawing on background information, available on the internet or otherwise, that indicates that the general strike call is "completely" separate from the workers, they would provide it. This isn't meant as a challenge- having more to go on for this conversation than just having a "good" feeling or "bad" feeling about the strike, or what your unnamed friends and comrades are supposedly telling you (i.e. my case) would allow the discussion to develop.

I don't have information that it's completely separate. My statement was entirely contingent on whether or not there is support there.

I'm saying that there have to be real links, and if you haven't got people in unions then calling for a general strike is mere wishful thinking. I was talking to OWS folks over the internet and they didn't seem to know the status.

Now, a few people have said we have to get over the fetishisation of unions and that people can strike without them. Strictly speaking that's true, but it also makes strike much less likekly. If you haven't the infrastructure for communicating and agreeing on strikes it can be a hell of a lot harder to imagine how you could get one to occur. I think without at least some plausible unions throwing their hat in the ring, it's a non-runner.

I'm very happy to hear that there are whispers that it might actually have some support.

I have to say, Nov 2nd doesn't seem like much time to organise (although I say that as an uniformed outsider, perhaps there is enough anger on the ground to make this reality and time really is of the essence...).

Also, not sure about that Carpenter's statement, they're not calling out their members after all...

looks like the Carpenters union has joined in and some ILWU and IBEW members wrote a statement supporting Nov. 2

This is from another thread, but is pertinent here:

Hieronymous

Arbeiten

Every time I see on facebook/twitter etc, someone advertise this strike, I ask them if there are any unions involved. I never get a reply.

I was at the Occupy Oakland General Assembly last night and during the strike preparation break-out, I joined the labor group (others were community outreach and education, which in turn broke into 3 groups: K-12, community college, and university). Lots of piecards talking a lot, but saying nothing. But others in the break-out made clear that this is a first attempt at a general strike, which I personally find a little premature, but it was a very powerful popular sentiment and most were clear that we were planting the seed of an idea that might take a while to bear fruit. Next weeks action is only the opening salvo.

Part of this sentiment for militancy goes back to the March 4th education movement in the Bay Area where Trotskyite groups tried to highjack the movement, preaching that "people weren't ready," by steering it into harmless teach-ins and rallies -- culminating with a rally in San Francisco at 5:00 p.m., intentionally planned to be after work and including every pro-Democratic Party piecard giving their boilerplate speeches.

On March 4, 2010, the actions that refuted this were in Oakland, where from the start of the day at least 3 high schools had total walk-outs and over 3,000 students and teachers converged on (what we now call) Oscar Grant Plaza. Another contingents of students from Berkeley High, Berkeley City College, UC Berkeley and others, marched 4.5 miles to Oscar Grant Plaza and participated in a noon demo of 6,000. It was before the mayoral election, and the high point was when the MC of the demo kicked mayoral candidate (& current mayor) Jean Quan off the stage, saying that no politicians or bureaucrats could speak.

In the labor break-out, when it was my turn to speak, I made clear that in the U.S. only 11.9% of the working class are in unions. So for a general strike to succeed, it will take the involvement of the unorganized 88.1%. This fixation on the unions will be its undoing. I pointed out that the unorganized troqueros (short-haul truckers) at the Port of Oakland had an 8-day wildcat in 2004 and have had other skirmishes with the cops during other spontaneous strike actions since then. 16,500 troqueros shut down the Los Angeles/Long Beach Port complexes on May Day 2006 by a factor of 90%, creating a backlog of imports from Asia that took months to clear up.

Those troqueros are clearly the most militant proletarian sector in California, having a track record of militant direct action for nearly a decade. During the labor break-out, I also made the point that all our literature needs to be translated to Spanish, and since the port of Oakland is about 12 blocks away we should do outreach there. A representative of ILWU Local 10, who are the longshore workers at the port, spoke but it was mostly the usual canned speech about "we're with you," with no mention of any possible concrete actions.

I also mentioned that Oakland Chinatown begins just 4 blocks from Oscar Grant Plaza and that there are still many garment sweatshops and other cottage industry factories nearby, so we should also get literature translated into Chinese and reach out to our fellow workers there.

I tried to make the point that this needs to go beyond the narrow definition of labor (usually connoting unions), and become a class movement.

I'll repeat some of the highlights:

The troqueros used to be unionized Teamsters until the Motor Carrier Act of 1980 deregulated the trucking industry. The NLRB (federal labor authority) considers them "independent contractors" while the IRS (federal tax collection agency) considers them waged workers. Regardless, they've had the most militant recent history of wildcat striking, nearly all of it at the ports.

1. Wildcats by non-union troqueros shut down the APL gate at the Port of Oakland for 8 days in 2004.

2. Wildcats by non-union troqueros shut down the Los Angeles/Long Beach Port complex (the busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere) by 90% on May Day 2006. This was militant working class self-activity by 16,500 truckers. It was part of the nationwide general strike of Latino workers (list below).

3. The following cities and towns participated in the 2006 May Day General Strike:

Accomack County, VA: several hundred
Alamosa, CO: 200
Albuquerque, NM: 2-5,000
Allentown, PA: 300
Anchorage, Alaska: hundreds
Athens, GA: 1200
Atlanta, GA: 1-5,000
Aurora, IL: 9,000
Austin, TX: 8,000
Bakersfield, CA: 15,000 march/ 4,000 students walk out
Beaufort County, SC: 80-90% of Latina/os boycott work
Berkeley: 1,000 college & high school students
Boise, ID: 75
Boston: 2-5,000
Boulder, CO: 2,000+
Burlington, VT: 300
Carbondale, CO: 1,200
Camden, NJ: 1,000 join Philadelphia rally, most independent grocers in county closed
Caldwell, ID: several hundred for silent vigil
Cannon Beach, OR: 175
Ceres, CA (N. San Joaquin Valley): 2,000
Chapel Hill, NC: 40
Charlotte, NC: 10,000 rally, 684 students absent, Spanish-language radio goes ad-free to support boycott
Chattanooga, TN: 300
Chicago: 600,000 (fire department estimate), some school districts up to 80% absent
Cincinnati, OH: several thousand rally at National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Cleveland OH: 200-400
Colorado Springs, CO: 3,000
Columbus, OH: 40 at Ohio State University
Concord, CA: 3,000
Dallas, TX: 1,500
The Dalles, OR: 700
Dayton, OH: 550
Denver CO: 75,000
Des Moines, Iowa: 40+ businesses close
Detroit, MI: many businesses in southwest closed
Dothan, AL: hundreds
Durango, CO: 100
Eugene, OR: 400
Kansas City, MO: 2,000
Knoxville, TN: 300
El Paso, TX
Eugene, OR 1,000-1,500
Eureka, CA: hundreds march to Arcata
Florida: state totals 30,000 in Pensacola, Homestead, Ft. Meyers, other cities
Forks, WA: 700
Fresno, CA: 15,000+ and earlier rally of 3-4,000 students at CSUF
Grand Island, NE: 3,000
Grand Junction, CO: 3,500
Hickory, NC: hundreds
Hood River, OR: 1,500
Houston, TX: 15,000
Huntsville, AL: several hundred
Ithaca, NY: 400
Jackson Heights (Queens), NYC: 1000+ make chain measuring 10 blocks
Joliet IL: 600
Laramie, WY: 200
Las Vegas, NV: 2,000
Laurel, MS: 200
Little Rock, AK: hundreds
Los Angeles: 500,000 (about 72,000 --27% of students absent)
Louisville, KY: 1,000
Lumberton, NC: 4,000*
Madras, OR: 250
McAllen, TX: thousands rally, 700 students absent
Medford, OR: 500
Merrifield, VA: some day labor crews reduced by over 90%
Miami: 10,000 (65,000 walk out)
Madison, WI 7-9,000
Milwaukee: 70,000
Minneapolis, MN: 3,000
Modesto, CA: 15,000 & student march of 250 from Modesto High
Morehead, KY: 60
Nashville, TN: many workers strike, immigrants shut off lights from 8-9 p.m.
New York City: 50-500,000
New Orleans: 2-10,000
Oak Cliff TX: 500
Oakland, CA: 40-50,000
Odessa, TX: rally
Ogden, UT: 1,000
Olympia, WA: 400
Ottumwa, MI: hundreds rally, 440 students absent
Oxnard, CA: 4,000
Omaha, NE: 3-6,000
Ontario, CA: 1,000
Orlando, FL: 20-30,000
Paso Robles, CA: 200 rally, 24% students absent
Philadelphia: 7,000 (incl. 1,000 coming from Camden)
Pittsburgh, PA: 150+
Port Chester, NY: 2,000 march, blocks of stores closed
Porterville, CA (Tulare County): 4,000
Portland, OR- 10,000
Poughkeepsie, NY: 800-2,000
Pueblo, CO: 500
Raleigh NC: 3,000
Rapid City, SD: several hudred
Russelville, AL (town with large KKK presence): more than 20% of Latino/a students absent (30% county-wide)
Salem, OR: 8-10,000
Salinas, CA: 13-20,000 (biggest at least since 70s)
San Antonio, TX: thousands
San Bernadino, CA: 1,000
San Diego: 10,000+ at multiple events
San Francisco, CA: 75-125,000
San Juan, TX
San Rafael, CA: 5-7,000
Santa Ana, CA: 2-5,000 (police start confrontation with protestors)
Santa Cruz, CA: 4-6,000 when two marches merge
Santa Maria, CA: 5-30,000
Santa Rosa, CA: 8-10,000
Santa Barbara, CA: 15,000
Sacramento, CA: 18-40,000
Salt Lake City, UT: 7,500 (10,000 statewide participate in events)
San Jose, CA: 50,000 at least—up to 100,000
San Ysidro, CA: 1-2,500 march to border
Seaside, CA: 1-2,000
Seattle, WA: 30,000
Siler City, NC: effectively shut down through boycott
Sioux Falls, SD: hundreds
Somerville, MA: hundreds
Stockton,CA
Sussex County, DE: poultry plants shut down who refused to close Feb. 14th for the regional Day Without an Immigrant
Tennessee: 10,000+ strike/boycott
Tiffin, OH: 200, organized by Toledo’s Farm Labor Organizing Committee
Tulare, CA: 3,000
Tuscaloosa, AL: silent march on Univ. of Alabama campus, 200+
Union City, CA: 1,000
Ventura, CA: 200+ march, some school districts almost 40% absent
Virginia Beach, VA: hundreds
Vista, CA: 8-12,000
Washington D.C.: Malcolm X Park, 2-3,000 and Capitol: 5,000
Watsonville: 12,000
Wendover, UT: 500
White Plains, NY: 500 highschoolers walk out, march to courthouse
Worcester, MA: 2,500 rally (largest since Vietnam War), 67+ businesses close, 800-900 students absent. Feeder marches organized for: students, Africans, Colombians, Dominicans, Jamaicans, Latinos, Pleasant St Neighbors, and Christians
Yakima, WA: 8-15,000

(source: Infoshop News)

Almost none of these workers were in unions.

Notice that almost 50,000 walked out in Oakland? (I was there and would say this number is accurate) It was the most people converging in downtown Oakland since the 1946 General Strike. Also, they marched 100 blocks (nearly 8 miles) from the eastern border of the city to downtown. With bilingual outreach and persistent organizing, who says it can't happen again? If not on Wednesday, then in the next attempt at a general strike.

I simply don't know where the dogma comes from that workers must have a union to go on strike. Frankly, it's bullshit!

Lastly, students at the UC and CSU universities are facing drastic tuition increases in the middle of November -- on top of fees that have tripled in the last decade. The UC Berkeley campus is just 4.6 miles from Oscar Grant Plaza and already on March 4, 2010 there were at least 3,000 students who marched there. I imagine if the students can be drawn into the general strike, even more will march to Oakland this time. Oakland is closing 5 public schools, that are mostly black, and the school board meeting last Wednesday was shut down by angry parents. They might be drawn in too.

Couple of thoughts to those who are saying you can't have a general strike without the unions.

First of all, there's no way the unions would or could participate in the general strike anyway. The NLRB and all their business-union contracts forbid political strikes, they'd lose their certification and get fined if they participated. so they simply won't go there.

Secondly, and this, which appears at first to be a drawback, is actually an advantage: the level of unionization in the private sector today is roughly the same as it was 100 years ago, when the Wobblies led general strikes. And they not only struck without the AFL unions, they usually struck against the fierce opposition of the AFL as well as the bosses and city fathers. The success or failure of a general strike today depends exactly on the same factor as what the Wobblies depended on: the participation of large segments of non-union, unorganized workers. Realistically the chances of unorganized workers coming out are much better than organized workers, because of the union laws, so it's to our advantage in this instance that the labor movement has been so thoroughly crushed in its legalistic embodiment..

Nobody said that workers have to be in unions to strike. The problem is simply that without the infrastructure of a union, creating strikes is much more difficult. Now with something like logistics where you have a section of workers that are in relatively high level of communication due to various types of centralisation like truck stops etc. plus a history of having been unionised it's obviously going to be easier.

It's not a straightforward necessity, it's merely a statement of likelihood.

The argument can't be between whether workers can't strike without a union (which they obviously can) and workers can always strike and unions are irrelevant because neither position is tenable. The question really needs to be about how likely it is. If one leans towards the "unions are irrelevant" end of the spectrum that's going to have big consequences on ones strategy. For instance, one would be pretty unlikely to put much effort into union organising. I think that would be a big mistake.

Point taken, though it's also shifted between your posts, from dismissal of the call in Oakland to a pragmatic skepticism. That's fine, I can work with that. If the problem is just the "how," let's talk methods. Given that if political/general strikes do successfully reemerge within this cycle of struggle, we can count on the major unions ignoring/repressing/recuperating them and certainly not suddenly offering their resources and infrastructure, it's worth brainstorming decentralized methods to sidestep them. I'm just going to list the first tools that come to mind for generalizing a strike call, not in order and not very critically either. Are there other obvious ones I'm missing or things that have worked elsewhere?

-large, open assemblies that not only organize for the strike but de facto mobilize for it too. (duh)

-postering and propaganda everywhere.

-flyering specific, important, large or conflictive, workplaces. approaching rank-and-file groups personally. flyering public transit and soapboxing on buses, trains, and streets to build excitement.

-social networks.

-banner drops and other build-up actions like the interruption of prominent political/media/entertainment events.

-flying squads to shut down specific enterprises the day of (I don't think we're anywhere near the level of class conflict where people would understand efforts to shut down every enterprise, so unfortunately the distinction between banks and grocery stores still stands).

-creation/occupation of a specific strike coordination center in a very public place in the days leading up to the strike. this seemed important in Barcelona last year.

-shutting down or making free the public transit system.

-decentralized blockades.

-free food, music, etc.

-whatever's worked for spreading strikes on campuses recently.

-solidarity actions, resolutions, or walkouts in cities far or near.

I've tried to stay in the realm of the conceivable, if not the realistic or politically relevant. Thus, the list has to reflect the fact that this struggle is admittedly constituted outside the circuit of productive capital, even if Occupy Oakland is somewhat closer, on the level of ideas, to a critique of productive capital (i.e. a communist position), that it has a broader and more interesting class composition, and is more grounded in a trajectory of radical struggles than most other occupations. So many of the experiences and methods of strike agitation, developed by struggles within productive capital, aren't relevant. But again this moment, if it emboldens angry workers currently outside the movement (even if they don't walk out), could make for an important break with the current illusion of classlessness/the 99%/powerlessness within the workplace and spread class struggles against productive capital.

orange.ruffy

Point taken, though it's also shifted between your posts, from dismissal of the call in Oakland to a pragmatic skepticism.

My original post was made out of ignorance of the actual support by unions and workplaces. The idea of the GA calling a general strike looked incredibly odd to me as it's not the people who be sticking their neck out. However, I did say it was remotely possible that there would be a strike, so it wasn't a dismissal.

The rest of your post seem like useful practical activity.

I do think there is a danger of demoralisation when too much frenetic focus on something so huge without much in the way of buildup and over a very short time frame.

If history is any guide, a few key groups of workers are going to make or break this general strike attempt. Obviously you can get the longshore workers on board (if you can get anyone!), but what about public transit workers? Is Occupy Oakland plugged in with rank & file leaders (as opposed to just a few isolated angry workers) among the transit workers? Other key groups might be truckers (not just at the port), electrical and other utility workers, and teachers. I'm probably forgetting some. But anyway, if Occupy Oakland folks are in personal contact with genuine rank & file leaders among these groups, and if based on that contact it looks like a successful general strike is feasible, then I say go for it. Otherwise it'll probably be a demoralizing failure as a strike, and it would be a lot smarter to just call for a (non-permitted) mass demonstration that just happens to be during normal work time...

facebook event has a bit under 2000 attendees, but clearly not all of them are in Oakland https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=183924845023473

Edit:
facebook status update just now said "Oakland's Teachers Union has unanimously endorsed the Oakland General Strike!!!"

Juan Conatz

Solidarity march in Egypt

Egyptians march from Tahrir Square to support Occupy Oakland protestors

No sooner had my partner and I driven away from a planning meeting for the general strike, while driving through Berkeley, than we saw a stranger on the corner holding a 16" x 20" homemade poster that read "GENERAL STRIKE, OAKLAND, NOVEMBER 2." He was either holding it up for passing motorists and pedestrians, or was putting it up in a highly visible place -- it doesn't matter, since he was broadcasting our message.

So if that wasn't enough, while my partner was returning something she purchased at a consumers co-op outdoor gear store in Berkeley, the desk guy checked the receipt and steered us to customer service. When he was finished, he said "Now a question, off topic." I said "Huh?" And he smiled from ear-to-ear and said "When is the general strike." Just then it dawned on me that he must have seen the button on my shirt saying "GENERAL STRIKE NOW!" I gave him the details, then as we left I got a handful of fliers from the car and brought them back to him, explaining that we want people to find a way to not work and to come out next Wednesday. And to spread the word. Again, all smiles, he said he'd be there on November 2nd. And I believe him.

Whatever happens, this has really, really captured people's imaginations.

ALL POWER TO THE OAKLAND GENERAL STRIKE!

re: ILWU

As I understand it, their contracts stipulates they don't have to cross 'bonefied' (sp?) picket lines. The bosses may try to argue since this isn't a legal dispute, the workers are obligated to cross. Historically, I know this language has been used by the union to argue for workers going into work. Not saying this will happen and, of course, ILWU members have defied the bosses before, but that bit of their contract is not so cut and dry.

This does all sound very interesting. This status is doing the rounds on Facebook:

Boots Riley
Oakland's Teachers Union has unanimously endorsed the Oakland General Strike!!!

Let's all make history on November 2.

No work. No school. Converge on 14th and Broadway: 9am, 12pm and 5pm.

I am excited to see what may happen on the 2nd, and how things develop. Thanks everyone for your updates so far

Chilli Sauce

re: ILWU

As I understand it, their contracts stipulates they don't have to cross 'bonefied' (sp?) picket lines. The bosses may try to argue since this isn't a legal dispute, the workers are obligated to cross. Historically, I know this language has been used by the union to argue for workers going into work. Not saying this will happen and, of course, ILWU members have defied the bosses before, but that bit of their contract is not so cut and dry.

It's "bona fide" (or "bonafide") :upnorth: ;)

Resolution passed unanimously by the Occupy Oakland strike assembly on Friday October 29:

On Wednesday, November 2nd as part of the Oakland General Strike, we will march on the Port of Oakland and shut it down. We will converge at 5pm at 14th and Broadway and march to the port to shut it down before the 7pm night shift.

We are doing this in order to blockade the flow of capital on the day of the General Strike, as well as to show our commitment to solidarity with Longshore workers in their struggle against EGT in Longview, Washington. EGT is an international grain exporter which is attempting to rupture longshore jurisdiction. The driving force behind EGT is Bunge LTD, a leading agribusiness and food company which reported 2.4 billion dollars in profit in 2010; this company has strong ties to Wall Street. This is but one example of Wall Street’s corporate attack on workers.

The Oakland General Strike will demonstrate the wide reaching implications of the Occupy Wall Street movement. The entire world is fed up with the huge disparity of wealth caused by the present system. Now is the time that the people are doing something about it.The Oakland General Strike is a warning shot to the 1% – their wealth only exists because the 99% creates it for them.

http://www.occupyoakland.org/

Steven.

This does all sound very interesting. This status is doing the rounds on Facebook:

Boots Riley
Oakland's Teachers Union has unanimously endorsed the Oakland General Strike!!!

Let's all make history on November 2.

No work. No school. Converge on 14th and Broadway: 9am, 12pm and 5pm.

I am excited to see what may happen on the 2nd, and how things develop. Thanks everyone for your updates so far

I'll post some pictures after the second of Nov. I'll be there with various carpenters and electricians- Some of us have been pushing and pushing to shut the ports down (not dropping any names).....interesting times indeed.

If this guy shows up again I'll have a conniption fit:

[youtube]5-vQ3BVdv2U[/youtube]

^ Less of this (liberal celebraty wank fest) ^

and more of this (below)

Anyone interested in chatting on Tuesday/Wednesday I'll be the heavily tattooed guy in an ivy cap hanging out with a bunch of brutish construction workers. There might be beer involved :)

jacobian

It seems to me that calling a general strike without actually being able to effect one is not laying the basis for anything except potentially demoralisation.

The goal is to shut the port down- Oakland is a port city, shut down the ports and you shut down commerce. A one day shut down will largely be symbolic though so some people will be pushing to move the occupation to the port.

If that happens we could very well see a rehash of 1934 (on a smaller scale) but I don't think we're anywhere near that point. A ongoing shut down of not just Oakland but other major ports will necessitate some hard core effort/solidarity and I'm not sure the OWS 'movement' is ready for that but his current path is way better than doing nothing or sitting in a park and will no doubt further radicalize the overall OWS 'movement'. It's a good thing.

The ILWU has, in recent history, refused to or at least dragged their feet at crossing non-union picket lines on political issues. Case in point, the 2003 anti-war picket at the docks which resulted in a police riot. The union has a history of shutting down the docks to make political points, usually by pre-arrangement with management under an unusual and often attacked contract clause. However, they've also been known to "wildcat" when management says no. I hope Occupy Oakland isn't taking them for granted though. They do need to talk to rank and file workers and militant officers, such do exist, they aren't all piecards.

To the comrades in Oakland:

Lead On!

Occupy Oakland is one of the more radical movements already, but mass agitation for a general strike is working to bring the overall #OWS movement in a much more radical direction. Occupy Oakland's twitter account announced this tonight:

@OccupyOakland

RT @BootsRiley SEIU Local 1021- city workers, the biggest union in the city- is STRIKING ON #NOV2 !! #OaklandStrike #OccupyOakland

Here in Wisconsin we radicals (and even a number of progressives) are very happy to see that Oakland has picked up the General Strike banner from where we so depressingly dropped it, and running with it full steam. I think this is exactly what this country needs. The unions sure as shit weren't going to call one, and most of the occupy groups would have been far too pacifist.

Mayor Quan is saying she supports the general strike

Apology Letter and Declaration of Support for the November 2nd General Strike

I was initially really skeptical about the General Strike call, mainly because it seemed, from afar and from some of the leftists who publicized it, to be a kind of panacea and too similar to the 'day of action' type stuff the stalinist unions do abroad. There is perhaps also a danger in prioritizing the day's time in marches & confrontation-type actions when solidarity with workers might be more important than scaring the bosses at this stage (At least in general--perhaps oakland is in a somewhat different dynamic)

But I think if this is something people do and then go down to the GA to talk about (and especially if the conversation focuses on how to spread economic strikes in the future as the crisis worsens) it would really embolden workers.

I suppose the main thing is to see it as a process which is only beginning to be embarked upon--the working class practicing militant self-defense and solidarity, connecting their struggles, and building up a balance of forces. Obama recently invoked national emergency laws to veto a rail strike & the post offices are being dismantled too. If this could be a springboard for a strike WAVE, it could make a great contribution.

Does that make any sense? With much of the occupy movement, I worry that it is too much addressed to the "1%" when (to me) it still seems that huge swaths of the "99%" have been terrified of layoffs and too scared to struggle in the workplace. Oakland so far has seemed to suffer from this the least, and I don't think going to the port is a bad idea at all--I wonder though how to use this movement to really start getting rid of this fear the working class has to fight back.

New graphic from Occupy Wall Street website:

(I still have problems with the whole 99% vs. 1% thing, but it's fantastic comrades in New York created this; I think it's time to put it in more overtly class terms)

At planning meetings for Wednesday, proposals have been made to picket and or occupy any boss who disciplines any worker who takes the day off for the general strike. Another was that if any collective group of workers needs a "reason" to take off, they could come to Occupy Oakland and a flying picket could be sent to their workplace on the day of the general strike to give them that reason.

Re: Hieronymous, post #24 - wasn't that strike largely a lock out thought, such that it was organised by employers as much as workers (unionised or otherwise)?

I don't think it's impossible that workers strike without a union organisation (obv.), but it isn't something that's been characteristic of the past few years, certainly not in the UK, and I don't think in the US either. If things are changing, that's great, but I understand people's wariness.

Also, wasn't there a general education strike, or something, which came out of the university occupations in late '09? My understanding was that the trots had pushed that big time, and done alot of work for it, whereas the ultra-left had focussed more on the occupations (happy to be corrected)?

Do you think that that strike call - which I believe did have some effect, albeit not huge - was important in laying the groundwork for this one?

soyonstout

Mayor Quan is saying she supports the general strike

Apology Letter and Declaration of Support for the November 2nd General Strike
.

Is that a fake website? Or a fake letter on the real website? Or wtf?

posi

Re: Hieronymous, post #24 - wasn't that strike largely a lock out thought, such that it was organised by employers as much as workers (unionised or otherwise)?

The strikes I mention in that post were all wildcats.

Hieronymous

posi

Re: Hieronymous, post #24 - wasn't that strike largely a lock out thought, such that it was organised by employers as much as workers (unionised or otherwise)?

The strikes I mention in that post were all wildcats.

I know in the UK though, most wildcats come from well organised union shops - posties, Unite contractors at LOR, the London cleaners... of course that does point to the potential of talking to rank and file militants/shop stewards to build a strike independent of the wishes of the union structure.

Hieronymous

At planning meetings for Wednesday, proposal have been made to picket and or occupy any boss who disciplines any worker who takes the day off for the general strike. Another was that if any collective group of workers needs a reason" to take off, they could come to Occupy Oakland and a flying picket could be sent to their workplace on the day of the general strike to give them that reason.

This is very positive. Looking forward to hearing more.

(also, apologies for the bullshit link :oops: )

No worries mate, it made me chuckle this morning.. :)

(On the 1946 strike)
"By nightfall the strikers had instructed all stores except pharmacies and food markets to shut down, Bars were allowed to stay open, but they could serve only beer and had to put their juke boxes out on the sidewalk to play at full volume and no charge. 'Pistol Packin' Mama, Lay That Pistol Down', the number one hit, echoed off all the buildings. That first 24-hour period of the 54-hour strike had a carnival spirit. A mass of couples danced in the streets. The participants were making history, knew it, and were having fun."

I'll be at Merchants Saloon downtown for a bit- it's on Second St. Come by, visit and have some fun before we go to the port.

Hieronymous

At planning meetings for Wednesday

Keep in mind this is a public forum :) Not that you're suggesting anything illegal and what not.....just saying. I think when England had that wave of riots/protests libcom was being visited by the thought police.

CRUD

Hieronymous

At planning meetings for Wednesday

Keep in mind this is a public forum :) Not that you're suggesting anything illegal and what not.....just saying. I think when England had that wave of riots/protests libcom was being visited by the thought police.

These planning meetings take place at the amphitheater at Oscar Grant Plaza every day at 5:00, so we can be sure there's a covert cop presence.

Hieronymous

CRUD

Hieronymous

At planning meetings for Wednesday

Keep in mind this is a public forum :) Not that you're suggesting anything illegal and what not.....just saying. I think when England had that wave of riots/protests libcom was being visited by the thought police.

These planning meetings take place at the amphitheater at Oscar Grant Plaza every day at 5:00, so we can be sure there's a covert cop presence.

I know, just giving you a heads up. Thus far you haven't posted anything thats not publicly available :) Not that's there's any secret plans to destroy the world or anything.....

( DISCLAIMER: I'm not building a doomsday device in my basement at 3200 Kempton Ave)

I'm just going to have a good time and will be very vocal (as I have all week) with my anti liberal message. Hopefully the nation can follow in Oakland's footsteps, thus far the liberals seem to be almost shut down in Oakland.....not quite yet though but things are looking good.

San Fransisco is another story.... One reason I moved out of there....ha ha.

[youtube]aIrhVo1WA78[/youtube]

Juan Conatz

Mike Harman

soyonstout

Mayor Quan is saying she supports the general strike

Apology Letter and Declaration of Support for the November 2nd General Strike
.

Is that a fake website? Or a fake letter on the real website? Or wtf?

lol. It's fake website.

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/10/30/fake-oakland-mayors-website-offers-bogus-apology-to-demonstrators/

Ahh, I couldn't find the real website so I thought maybe someone put this up on their own initiative for a few minutes or something. That's less funny, but it's a good fake.

Hieronymous

if any collective group of workers needs a "reason" to take off, they could come to Occupy Oakland and a flying picket could be sent to their workplace on the day of the general strike to give them that reason.

that's very good.

Good luck comrades there for tomorrow! The tide is growing it seems...

American posters, please keep us in the loop!

To add to the confusion, the Administration issued a memo on Friday, October 28th to all City workers in support of the “Stop Work” strike scheduled for Wednesday, giving all employees, except for police officers, permission to take the day off.

Is this true and is that letter real?

Yeah, that letter is real. And yes, the city did give permission for city workers to use vacation or personal leave to take off tomorrow without facing disciplinary action.

Clearly this letter is propaganda, but from what I've seen, it seems this is politically directed against the mayor. Apparently, OPD basically runs the city and they believe Quan hasn't shown enough deference to them. Her attempted investigation of police corruption (which they defeated) solidified their hatred for her. Looks like they're trying to frame this as an incompetent mayor dividing city workers and "confusing" the police with conflicting orders. In the short term, they're hoping that she'll take most of the fire when they bust some heads tomorrow and longer term they're hoping this will undermine her enough so that she'll be replaced by a "tough" mayor who will be fully compliant with OPD's wishes.

Best wishes and solidarity to those of you in the bay area! As Hieronymous said, ALL POWER TO THE OAKLAND GENERAL STRIKE!

Notice how piecards like Josie Camacho never say things like:

1.) class
2.) social class
3.) strike
4.) general strike?

I saw her last week at the labor strategizing break-out group, just prior to the General Assembly, and with the people's mic she just couldn't talk at us. She sputtered and unsuccessfully tried to get out her sound bites, spoke way too long, but for the life of me I can't remember anything she said -- much like all politicians.

Hieronymous

Notice how piecards like Josie Camacho never say things like:

1.) class
2.) social class
3.) strike
4.) general strike?

I saw her last week at the labor strategizing break-out group, just prior to the General Assembly, and with the people's mic she just couldn't talk at us. She sputtered and unsuccessfully tried to get out her sound bites, spoke way too long, but for the life of me I can't remember anything she said -- much like all politicians.

Yeah her trying to reduce it to a "day of action" along with the SEIU statement are perfect examples of the limiting role played by contractual/legalist "labor" organizations under capitalism.

The call for a General Strike might have be a hasty one (specially since it only gave one week for preparation and build-up),

I know this was written by someone not posting on libcom, but thought it worthy of comment.

I've read a lot about general strikes in the U.S. and from my research there have been 20. Here's my list:

1.) 1835 Philadelphia, the first
2.) 1877 St. Louis General Strike as part of Great Upheaval Railroad Strike
3.) 1886 May Day strikes, Haymarket affair in Chicago
4.) 1892 New Orleans
5.) 1894 Pullman Strike, especially in Chicago
6.) 1910 Philadelphia
7.) 1919 Seattle
8.) 1934 San Francisco
9.) 1934 Minneapolis
10.) 1934 Toledo
11.) 1934 Atlantic Seaboard Textile
12.) 1935 Terre Haute, Indiana
13.) 1936 Pekin, Illinois
14.) 1946 Stamford, Connecticut
15.) 1946 Lancaster, Pennsylvania
16.) 1946 Houston
17.) 1946 Rochester, New York
18.) 1946 Pittsburgh
19.) 1946 Oakland (the most recent of the citywide general strikes)
20.) 2006 anti-H.R. 4437 (Sensenbrenner Act) Immigrant Strike

The ones I know the most about are the San Francisco and Oakland general strikes. Actually, Oakland was shut down just as tight in '34 as was SF. So Oakland has had 2 -- and if tomorrow has any degree of success, it will be 3.

The lag time between the general strike call and the action itself in San Francisco in '34 was exactly the same number of days for tomorrow's general strike in Oakland: 7 days.

In Oakland in '46, the spark that set off the general strike kept growing like wildfire, so there was no time for "preparation and build-up." It officially was sanctioned 2 days later, but by then it was a fait accompli. The official union account says that those who went out on sympathy strike before it was sanctioned were "jumping the gun."

It's my view that most general strikes are ignited by a spark, often preceded by a substantial period of heightened class struggle, that never dissipates. They're never organized beforehand, but are the culmination of a period of rising class consciousness.

What's different with tomorrow's general strike is that hasn't been preceded by any strikes. Yet, having been there for much of it, the strike call came as an organic reaction to the Night of the Tear Gas on October 25 and "general strike" was on everyone's lips; taking the class war on the offensive was a popular sentiment that rose naturally at the General Assembly the next night. Giving ourselves the benefit of the doubt, I'd like to consider this a new experiment in revitalizing the strike weapon. Imperfect, of course, but coming out of an escalation of tactics.

It is really not productive to get caught fantasizing about a anarcho-syndicalist general strike...

I strongly suggest reading Rosa Luxemburg's The Mass Strike to see that the "anarcho-sydincalist general strike" has never really happened. She makes the succinct point that if it's possible to call a general strike by dictate, why not just bypass that step and call for an insurrection instead?

She shows how the 1905 St. Petersburg Soviet was preceded by 9 years of political and economic strikes in Russia and Poland.

...and be tied to the exclusive project of stopping production. It is a lot more relevant and revolutionary to try and break people from the patterns of alienation, even if just a bit more, and have them engage in mass action, be strike mass action or not.

Here I think Joe Burn's recently released book, Reviving the Strike, is the perfect antidote. His premise is that strikes for the last few decades almost always fail because they don't stop production. There's no power backing them up. I completely agree with him. For class struggle militants in the U.S., this book is a must-read.

Juan Conatz

From Alameda Labor Council

LABOR STANDS IN SOLIDARITY WITH OCCUPY WALL ST.
OAKLAND MOVEMENT!!!

Excitement is continuing to build nationally and worldwide for the "Occupy Movement"! Workers, students, unemployed, homeless, seniors, those who have lost their homes to foreclosures and those who have lost their jobs - the 99% are standing up and fighting back against the 1%!!!!

We are experiencing the results of a failed economy and inability of the richest nation in the world to provide for the 99%. We know that the 1% is only getting greedier and richer. But, things are changing and this movement is catching fire.

Inspired by the spirit of the fight against Wall Street, the Alameda Labor Council urges all union members and your families to join us as we stand in solidarity with Occupy Oakland on Wednesday, November 2. This Day of Action on Wed. Nov 2, will be a public demonstration of support for the right to peaceably assembly without interference, and against the growing wealth and income inequality created by Wall Street and the actions of the richest 1%.

Individual unions and your members are encouraged to express solidarity in whatever form you find appropriate. These are some options for Nov 2:

1. At your worksite. Before work or during lunch, come together to talk about the Occupy Wall Street movement. Wear We are the 99% stickers.

2. Noon Bank action. Meet at Oakland City Hall and join a Wells Fargo Bank action.

3. Mobilization at 5pm. Labor's focus will be to turn out for this mobilization. We will converge at the Frank Ogawa Plaza at City Hall to join with Occupy Oakland.

Wear your union shirts and be visible so Occupy Oakland knows that labor is standing with them.

At 7pm the Alameda Labor Council with our affiliates will be hosting a "cook out" and serving dinner to all in attendance.

What can your union do to support this effort?
Contribute to the "cook out". We expect to feed 1,000s at 7pm on Nov 2. A detailed budget will be sent out tonight.

Volunteer monitors needed for 5pm mobilization. If your local can round up 4-10 monitors, that would be great.

Contribute to fund a lead "occupy" organizer. The occupy movement requires experience, time and committment to build good relationships. We will be setting up a dedicated fund to resource this level of organizing. If your local has staff you can reassign to this effort, let's talk.

Please see the labor flyer attached and spread the word to all your families, friends and networks!

We are the 99%!!!!!

Josie Camacho

Josie Camacho
Alameda Labor Council
Executive Secretary-Treasurer

Yeah, this is an attempt to de-escalate and provide alternative options to workers who may strike on the day. Not surprising, however, has the occupy/GS movement in Oakland dealt with this--calling it out for what it is or providing a counter-argument?

All the best of luck, solidarity and - why not? - love to Oakland folk today! I gotta say, this is kinda inspiring and exciting!

Hometown pride! (Well, I lived there for over a year anyways.)

Can I ask those who are there, when the idea of a General Strike arose, was there reference to Wisconsin?

Also, folks have mentioned the pointed lack of any mention of a strike in Josie Camacho's message. But besides just critiquing her rhetoric, which is important, what about one of the very specific plans she laid out?

Contribute to fund a lead "occupy" organizer. The occupy movement requires experience, time and committment to build good relationships. We will be setting up a dedicated fund to resource this level of organizing. If your local has staff you can reassign to this effort, let's talk.

This should be polarized around in the movement, starting with the analysis that others have done of Josie specifically not mentioning a strike and promoting less conflictual actions.

These funded organizers are what 60's radicals used to call "water carriers". To the extent that radicals can within the Occupy Oakland movement, they should try to have these organizers recognized as part of the enemy apparatus. They are, after all, not accountable to the assembly and are always going to be organizing for a cool-down of anything radical passed by the assembly. Perhaps propose to the GA a motion that any organizers funded by the Labor Council are unwelcome and seen as intruders? Depending on the mood even, that as long as the are funded by the labor council they will not be allowed to speak at the assembly?

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/politics/Oakland-Teachers-Join-General-Strike-day-133085128.html

Tommy Ascaso

"Wildcat longshoremen strike activity during the early shift has closed the Port of Oakland!"

https://twitter.com/#!/occupyoakland/status/131771581776150529

NBC News is saying the port is open for business as usual:
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Port-of-Oakland-Open-for-Business-133086758.html?rr=td

any confirmation one way or the other?

I've seen reports that there is a preceding dispute over a safety issue and some longshoremen (?) are on strike but the port is still open, with traffic(?) running through slowly.

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/01/18696609.php

Kind of an interesting short analysis.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/livenow?id=8416255

Live stream from a news helicopter, looks like theres maybe about 100 black bloc roaming around breaking windows, tbh I'm not too impressed with that, seems fairly counterproductive.

This on the other hand is GOLD http://twitpic.com/79zy01 :D

Steven.

Tommy Ascaso

"Wildcat longshoremen strike activity during the early shift has closed the Port of Oakland!"

https://twitter.com/#!/occupyoakland/status/131771581776150529

NBC News is saying the port is open for business as usual:
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Port-of-Oakland-Open-for-Business-133086758.html?rr=td

any confirmation one way or the other?

This is a report I received by email (I'm over on the other coast).

Jack Heyman, a long-time activist in Local 10, told The Internationalist in a phone report:

“This morning, the membership of ILWU Local 10, in the union’s best tradition of supporting solidarity actions, refused to take jobs posted in the hiring hall. One of the young brothers took the mike [at the Local 10 union hall] appealing to longshore workers, men and women, to refuse to take jobs in solidarity with Occupy Oakland. The response was overwhelming. Out of 300 or so jobs on offer, perhaps a third were dispatched. But most of the skilled jobs had no takers, so those ships stood idle. This effectively shut down the port this morning. Even now, with port officials scrambling to find workers, the port is barely limping along. The Port of Oakland and the ILWU International issued statements saying the port is working, but as of an hour ago there were only four cranes working out of around 30, less than 15 percent. And there is a huge line of trucks with containers, at least two or three miles long, stretching from the port into the city of Oakland, just waiting to be unloaded.”

Update from Indybay:

Wednesday Nov 2nd, 2011 4:14 PM : Approx. 150 ppl at #OccupyOakland #GeneralStrike Library Teach-in. #oostrike
Wednesday Nov 2nd, 2011 3:59 PM : RT @californiabeat: Crowd of at least 5,000 #OccupyOakland protesters preparing to march to Port of Oakland. #oostrike
Wednesday Nov 2nd, 2011 3:47 PM : RT @OccupyOakland: 7 buses of 50ppl each headed to the oakland port to shut it down! #OccupyOakland #oostrike
Wednesday Nov 2nd, 2011 2:58 PM : RT @BootsRiley: Be at 14th & Broadway at 3:45 to leave to shut down the port SHARPLY at 4pm! Port still workin @ 40%. #OccupyOakland
Wednesday Nov 2nd, 2011 2:53 PM : RT @BootsRiley: Ppl have been shuttin down banks, and movin in furniture from foreclosed homes. Thousands in the streets. #OccupyOakland
Wednesday Nov 2nd, 2011 12:39 PM : RT @OccupyOakland: Massive "Occupy Banks" banner hung up across Webster St by urban climbers. #OccupyOakland
Wednesday Nov 2nd, 2011 11:59 AM : Several dowtown banks shut down by #OOStrike including Wells Fargo, Citibank, & Comerica #OccupyOakland
Wednesday Nov 2nd, 2011 11:02 AM : RT @globalexchange: Laney College students have walked out and marching down street now to join action. #OO #OccupyOakland
Wednesday Nov 2nd, 2011 10:57 AM : RT @OccupyOakland: 5,000 strikers marching down Clay. #generalstrike #occupyoakland #oo
Wednesday Nov 2nd, 2011 10:51 AM : KPFA broadcasting live from the #GeneralStrike, 10am-1pm & 3-6pm. 94.1FM, 88.1FM in the Central Valley, and kpfa.org #OccupyOakland
Wednesday Nov 2nd, 2011 10:17 AM : Crowd rallying at 14th & Broadway now marching toward "the banks." #OccupyOakland
Wednesday Nov 2nd, 2011 10:07 AM : RT @OccupyOakland: Wildcat longshoremen strike activity during the early shift has closed the Port of Oakland! #generalstrike #occupyoakland

From watching the live feed I pasted above, it really is inspiring. A big fleet of bikes arrived first, and started circling around, totally blocking off an entrance to the port and the interestion around it. Then the convoy of buses ferried up to the next entrance, with people pouring out and blocking the road. Now I'm watching a MASSIVE march make it's way there.

Wow, just wow.

EDIT: An now, about an hour after the first march arrived, another HUGE march is coming down the freeway. Fucking hell!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rWm2ZJbATHc

black bloc attacked the whole foods, peace police attacked the black bloc

At least they are coming out, realizing it's not really all violence that they are against.

Livestream from ABC news and "globalrevolution" here: http://ows.bylinebeat.com/post/12271871954/oakland-strike

So apparently two protesters who were blocking traffic were struck by a "frustrated driver's" car and one of them was killed. R.I.P. comrade. This really makes me sad.

I may have been a little hasty in saying he died. I hope I'm wrong. According to this lady's twitter and this guy's twitter he is dead, and both of them seem to be at the scene.

this picture appears to show someone being carried off in a stretcher totally covered from head to toe in a sheet, which strongly suggests he's died. Again, I hope I'm wrong.

Juan Conatz

Hit by silver Mercedes. Fucking cunt prick bastard fuck.

Agreed. They should have dragged him from his car and beat the ever loving shit out of him. If the protester really is dead I bet this guy get's manslaughter at most.

Imagine being so fucking selfish that when you are inconvenienced by someone blocking the road you gun the engine and fucking RUN THEM OVER. If this had been any other group of people and not peace-obsessed occupiers he would have gotten STOMPED and would have fucking deserved it too.

Yeah. Twitter can be confusing. Lots of people are saying no one has died. The Russia TV reporter whose twitter I linked to has retracted her statement about the death. I guess I jumped the gun on this one, although it could be true. Nonetheless, this is a fucking outrage.

Local news has tweeted that the hospital has described their injuries as "non life-threatening".

Just some woman with kids driving into people not knowing shit...(AS FAR AS THE CAR ACCIDENT) I was at 10 st and I think that happened at 14'th st so by the time info got to me it (the info) may have been a tad confused. EDIT Fuck that person and fuck the police for letting them go

On a better note- here we are in front of the police station. Pay attention to the music

[youtube]bFgREMHLYCE[/youtube]

At the end..."oh my god...blond big tits ass.."

LOL at the feminists (sorry i'm an asshole)

Anyway it was a giant "flotilla" with live music (rappers) singing fuck the police....(in the video). Earlier in the day up by 14'th st some people felt the need to smash some bank windows and such- other than that there wasn't that much property destruction as the point was to go to the port which had a sea of people shutting it down. I'm not even sure I can guess how many people. 2000? 9000? At one point I was atop of a truck (big rig) and could see a line of people all the way across the port into west oakland.

The overall vibe of the day was very positive, a lot of diversity, a lot of kids/family, a lot of good people out voicing their frustration. If the rest of America can follow in Oaklands footsteps we're in for some positive change. There was teachers, kids, carpenters, electricians, EMT's, homeless, various unions, service workers, non union workers, students, gutter punks and elderly all out having a good time. All in all things went well even if it was a symbolic shut down of the port for a night- maybe it will expand into something more meaningful? I'm happy to finally see some resistance and the overall vibe was very open to radical politics. There was BROAD support in oakland- not much negative to say- I cant give enough props to Boots and company for keeping it real.

EDIT:
I have another video from the port where i go on a diatribe against liberals on the mic to some applause. I think I even mentioned libcom. It was fun....we were all drunk (all being me and my silly friends). Props to Boots and even the Bob Avakian people were being....normal. I think I have some sort of knee cancer. Will give an actual thinking mans synopsis of the night when I'm sober tomorrow.

sabotage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rWm2ZJbATHc

black bloc attacked the whole foods, peace police attacked the black bloc

Pussies aren't even from oakland.

I know the events today in Oakland are trivial in comparison, but the words that Wordsworth wrote about the fall of the Bastille in 1789 are apropos:

Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive,
But to be young was very heaven!

I'm not young, but there's hope for future generations. Yet as old as I am, I felt very fucking young today and even more blissful. The Port of Oakland was my heaven.

I can barely keep my eyes open from fatigue, but I've been on this euphoric high since we marched from Oscar Grant Plaza to the port and the march never seemed to end.

A comrade even older than I evaluated and reevaluated and said that the 4:00 march had 15,000 - 20,000 people -- and then the 5:00 march had even more. I'd put the crowd at the port at around 35,000 - 40,000.

Most people also knew the significance of going to the port, as a vital chokepoint in the global circulation of capital. And I was amazed at our cooperation and collective decision making; we held spontaneous "people's mics" to make crucial strategic decisions and it functioned brilliantly.

I can't wait til we do it again, but this time with the longshore workers actually striking and all of us going out in solidarity for a real general strike.

Hieronymous

I can't wait til we do it again, but this time with the longshore workers actually striking and all of us going out in solidarity for a real general strike.I can barely keep my eyes open from fatigue

Ya real general strike....fatigue..I hear you. Even so I got a feeling I've never had before (it wasn't the beer ;) ). I'm 34 and can't remember ever seeing any sort of solidarity like this in the bay area (or anywhere). I might almost second guess (as in support) the generic rhetoric in the original adbusters call to action but I think the vibe in Oakland had more to do with efforts from countless people like us creating the atmosphere. I suppose it will all be different in various cities across the US.

Some people were saying it may be a good thing that there is no one centralized message but I think Oakland just set the bar today. It wasn't just some Marxists or Anarchists it was a broad group of people and they (at least it seemed to me) were very open to our ideals.

Any info on any shutdown workplaces? Those banks that got shut down looked like they were blockaded - did most of the people just take holiday or unpaid days off, or call in sick? Apart from the longshoreman of course?

Sounds very exciting, well done you lot anyway and thanks for your personal accounts!

If anyone wanted to create a photo gallery of the day on here that would be great, because the pictures look amazing

Steven.

Any info on any shutdown workplaces? Those banks that got shut down looked like they were blockaded - did most of the people just take holiday or unpaid days off, or call in sick? Apart from the longshoreman of course?

Sounds very exciting, well done you lot anyway and thanks for your personal accounts!

If anyone wanted to create a photo gallery of the day on here that would be great, because the pictures look amazing

The bigger companies closed- Walgreen's, Burger King and the major banks downtown. The first bank was being picketed by one guy and he managed to get that whole crowd there. I forgot his name but he did a good job of it. Other banks had windows smashed in and the Whole Foods up by Lake Merritt was smashed- funny seeing that place always gets smashed when the blac bloc is in town. I guess most of them shop there or something?

My guess is most of them are from the surrounding suburbs and should break shit there if they want to break shit. Pretty much fuck them. If any of you are reading this fuck you. Stay out of Oakland.

Steven.

Any info on any shutdown workplaces?

Yeah, just before 11:00 a.m., a flying picket of about 40 shut down a take-out bakery/sandwich shop on the ground floor of a highrise office building, based on a communication that some of the workers were strictly prohibited from taking the day off to be in solidarity with the strike. We noisily negotiated and the boss agreed to close the shop, let the workers leave, and pay them for a full day's wages, even though they hadn't even been there half a shift. I'd guess that about 15 people worked there.

About 10 of us stayed until all the workers had left the store. For me, this small victory was one of the most powerful acts of working class solidarity of the entire day.

Too bad 3,000 of us couldn't repeat this tactic at Whole Foods a couple hours later. The insurwreckionaries decided it was better to break a few windows and spray some graffiti.

Other banks had windows smashed in and the Whole Foods up by Lake Merritt was smashed- funny seeing that place always gets smashed when the blac bloc is in town. I guess most of them shop there or something?

My guess is most of them are from the surrounding suburbs and should break shit there if they want to break shit. Pretty much fuck them. If any of you are reading this fuck you. Stay out of Oakland.

I'm sorry, but this is pure slander.

In many occupations outside of Oakland, people have been labeled outsiders or provocateurs not for breaking shit, but for taking radical positions in the assembly. If you had made that diatribe against liberals in Chicago, it's likely that you'd have been called out as being outside the 99% or a cop. To use the exact same tools to isolate other anarchists seems absurd, to say the least.

If you don't have some specific reason to think the people who attacked Whole Foods are from outside Oakland, you're obviously using a politically dubious* ad hominem attack as a substitute for an actual critique. The sad thing is that it'd be very easy to make a real political criticism of the attack from an anarchist/communist perspective, and even from an insurrectional anarchist perspective.

If you do have specific knowledge that they aren't from Oakland, you should keep that to yourself anyways.

*In that OWS could easily veer into a "buy local/invest local/we're all in this together" trip that would only benefit shitty green capitalism and make it even harder to spread class struggle. Ironically, Whole Foods would probably qualify as "local/of the 99%" to most liberal participants in OWS. At least they're doing the important work of making organic veggies available and aren't investment bankers, right?

Statement posted up on the new indoor occupation:

520 16th St. Oakland, CA

The Oakland branch of the Travelers Aid Society was a government funded non-profit that provided aid to houseless people in our area. After the government cut funding to the program, the Oakland branch faced foreclosure at the hands of their private lender.

Hence then, the space sat vacant as though it were disposable to those with the keys. To us, this space is invaluable. We are reclaiming it for the people. It is now open for our use.

We welcome the Travelers Aid Society to resume providing services in this building. Otherwise, we will make it into a library and open workshop space for the people of Oakland.

This is an example for the country that when the political and financial system of this nation fails to provide needed services, we must do it ourselves.

We are the 99%. This is our future.

Congratulations to all in Oakland, your struggle is inspiring!

Crud - calm down posting videos of yourself and weird smears. Catch on, ffs.

Video of the car running down protyestors here.Look for "Raw Video"

CRUD

Other banks had windows smashed in and the Whole Foods up by Lake Merritt was smashed- funny seeing that place always gets smashed when the blac bloc is in town. I guess most of them shop there or something?

My guess is most of them are from the surrounding suburbs and should break shit there if they want to break shit. Pretty much fuck them. If any of you are reading this fuck you. Stay out of Oakland.

So real question; would you have been one of the people defending the whole foods chanting "no violence" (or practicing violence on the black bloc-ers as I'm sure your capable of doing)?

Not that I think black blocs are always great, or this was a great strategy, but opposition to them is usually just reactionary bullshit from people who believe in legal change within the system.

amazing to me that people on the twitter are still promoting opcashback (pulling money from major banks and putting it in credit unions and community banks) as a legitimate tactic after oakland. . .

Caiman del Barrio

Congratulations to all in Oakland, your struggle is inspiring!

Crud - calm down posting videos of yourself and weird smears. Catch on, ffs.

Weird smears? Whole Foods on Harrison St gets smashed up frequently by white youth from the surrounding suburbs. Fact not a "weird smear". I lost my phone sometime that night so those silly videos are all I had left to post (from a friends phone).

fnbrill

Video of the car running down protyestors here.Look for "Raw Video"

That's fucking disgusting! Attempted murder!

tastybrain

CRUD

Other banks had windows smashed in and the Whole Foods up by Lake Merritt was smashed- funny seeing that place always gets smashed when the blac bloc is in town. I guess most of them shop there or something?

My guess is most of them are from the surrounding suburbs and should break shit there if they want to break shit. Pretty much fuck them. If any of you are reading this fuck you. Stay out of Oakland.

So real question; would you have been one of the people defending the whole foods chanting "no violence" (or practicing violence on the black bloc-ers as I'm sure your capable of doing)?

Not that I think black blocs are always great, or this was a great strategy, but opposition to them is usually just reactionary bullshit from people who believe in legal change within the system.

Do I look like I believe in "legal change through the system"? If you had been in Oakland and seen the amount of kids (I'm talking 3 year olds...5 year olds....ten year olds and elderly etc) you would agree the atmosphere wasn't proper for tearing shit up. Whole foods on Harrison wasn't as crowded but the banks downtown were. The windows smashed didn't even belong to the bank.

The stuff that happened later in the night probably happened later because of the fact I brought up- it was a family sort of environment during the day and people running around burning and breaking shit would have alienated a massive amount of people. I'm not so sure it was wise to do later in the night anyway, we could burn the entire city down, what would that accomplish? And no I wouldn't defend Whole Foods or chant no violence as I did sit by and watch the kids break the "bank" windows. I thought it was silly if anything. Predictable. Sophomoric. Ineffective...yes.

The old reasoning behind smashing shit was to "snap people out of it" in a sort of propaganda of the deed sort of way and it seemed to me thousands of people were open to the idea of socialism without windows being broken. If that's what makes your revolutionary cocks hard go ahead and burn the entire city down but it will alienate a large portion of the community.

Calling me "reactionary" and or reformist on an internet forum is just about as tough as breaking glass :) Oh the joy. Building a mass movement is going to take more than a bunch of angry white middle class vegan kids running around Oakland breaking glass.

orange.ruffy

Other banks had windows smashed in and the Whole Foods up by Lake Merritt was smashed- funny seeing that place always gets smashed when the blac bloc is in town. I guess most of them shop there or something?

My guess is most of them are from the surrounding suburbs and should break shit there if they want to break shit. Pretty much fuck them. If any of you are reading this fuck you. Stay out of Oakland.

I'm sorry, but this is pure slander.

In many occupations outside of Oakland, people have been labeled outsiders or provocateurs not for breaking shit, but for taking radical positions in the assembly. If you had made that diatribe against liberals in Chicago, it's likely that you'd have been called out as being outside the 99% or a cop. To use the exact same tools to isolate other anarchists seems absurd, to say the least.

If you don't have some specific reason to think the people who attacked Whole Foods are from outside Oakland, you're obviously using a politically dubious* ad hominem attack as a substitute for an actual critique. The sad thing is that it'd be very easy to make a real political criticism of the attack from an anarchist/communist perspective, and even from an insurrectional anarchist perspective.

If you do have specific knowledge that they aren't from Oakland, you should keep that to yourself anyways.

*In that OWS could easily veer into a "buy local/invest local/we're all in this together" trip that would only benefit shitty green capitalism and make it even harder to spread class struggle. Ironically, Whole Foods would probably qualify as "local/of the 99%" to most liberal participants in OWS. At least they're doing the important work of making organic veggies available and aren't investment bankers, right?

It's actually libel and if you don't like it you can fuck right off :) There's some more libel for you. The actual critique (seeing I'm sober now) would center around how, when trying to build a mass movement, fires and property damage aren't necessarily going to help our cause. After Oscar Grant was murdered that was one thing, anger needed to be shown but the atmosphere there yesterday was something different. I wouldn't stop anyone from breaking windows as they're just windows but fucking grow up already- proper class consciousness on a mass scale isn't going to arise by breaking and burning shit. It's an ideological war at this point. Yesterday was good in that rearguard as I think a lot of people gained some insight by shutting down the port while having conversations amongst each other about the system.

The dynamics in America (at this point) are different than, lets say, Greece.

Hieronymous

About 10 of us stayed until all the workers had left the store. For me, this small victory was one of the most powerful acts of working class solidarity of the entire day.

Too bad 3,000 of us couldn't repeat this tactic at Whole Foods a couple hours later. The insurwreckionaries decided it was better to break a few windows and spray some graffiti.

Admin: snip - be civil.

Can we take this debate elsewhere? This is an important thread and I don't want to read this unnecessary back and forth.

Yeah, just before 11:00 a.m., a flying picket of about 40 shut down a take-out bakery/sandwich shop on the ground floor of a highrise office building, based on a communication that some of the workers were strictly prohibited from taking the day off to be in solidarity with the strike. We noisily negotiated and the boss agreed to close the shop, let the workers leave, and pay them for a full day's wages, even though they hadn't even been there half a shift. I'd guess that about 15 people worked there.

This is fucking sick! And I think you should do a proper write-up about that should be distributed to other Occupy spaces.

Also, you're spot on about Whole Foods, too.

Flying picket for the win!

(first post, but been lurking for a grip)

This shit makes me happy. I have been getting depressed as fuck these last 10 years, but when shit like this (or the recent uprisings in the Middle East) happens it makes me have hope that I will see the death of Capitalism in my life.

I wish there was someway for me to escalate the situation from my little college town of 35,000 but it seems that we have enough problems getting people to GA's let alone taking part in actions that will do anything..

"Stay out of my city"
"Go smash stuff where you're from"
"Building the movement"
You've painted a nice picture of yourself there, CRUD.

When I saw CRUD's quote earlier I thought he was joking about the "out of town element" because it's such a classic old smear, but it turns out he was serious. I mean ffs, that was the story being sold at Seattle WTO.

Yes, it was a bad tactic but come on. Ya know solidarity and all that . . .

On a positive note, these on the ground stories are beautiful and inspiring. Thank you Oakland!

jesuithitsquad

When I saw CRUD's quote earlier I thought he was joking about the "out of town element" because it's such a classic old smear, but it turns out he was serious. I mean ffs, that was the story being sold at Seattle WTO.

Yes, it was a bad tactic but come on. Ya know solidarity and all that . . .

On a positive note, these on the ground stories are beautiful and inspiring. Thank you Oakland!

If you were living in Oakland you would be aware the "black community" isn't happy about white kids showing up from the surrounding suburbs setting their city on fire. It alienates the black community so pretty much get a grip on whats going on in Oakland before you open your mouth....or in this case type your thoughts (or lack there of).

Melancholy of Resistance

"Stay out of my city"
"Go smash stuff where you're from"
"Building the movement"
You've painted a nice picture of yourself there, CRUD.

Yes stay out of Oakland and smash stuff where you're from. Yes.

Here's a portrait for you kiddo....

There's no doubt any revolution against capitalism is going to be violent- as in actual dead bodies piling up (I don't consider breaking windows to be violence). That fact doesn't bother me what does bother me are childish tactics that for some reason the pigs love.

This was/is suppose to be an ongoing occupation. The reason we shut the port down yesterday was because we had broad support, the goal was, in case you weren't aware, to shut the port down yesterday, today and as long as we can to interrupt the flow of capital. I can't believe I have to spell this out for you. How many people who came yesterday do you think will not show up today because of the perceived threat of "violence"? How many of the multiple thousands there yesterday were kids, families and normal people who have never taken part in a mass action of that nature?

Use your fucking head and stop trying to play vanguard revolutionary by breaking glass because for some reason (in some cases) the pigs love it. Perhaps it's because in reality it alienates average people and makes it pretty hard to mobilize a mass movement? The entire world isn't 19 year old kids with a fetish for propaganda of the deed- fuck , the blac bloc can't even do that right.....kill some cops or something if you want to be violent. Fucking sissies.

There's a time and place for everything.

oh i get it white=suburb/ black=city. got it.

also, i missed the part where anyone on this thread said the property destruction was a good idea.

jesuithitsquad

oh i get it white=suburb/ black=city. got it.

also, i missed the part where anyone on this thread said the property destruction was a good idea.

I'm sorry there is in fact an actual black community separate from the white community in Oakland. I'm responsible for that. I would begin to question calling myself an anarchist if the overall anarchist community was as dense as some of the posters in this thread.

Yes yesterday could have done without little brats running around breaking shit. Am I a pacifist? no. Do I think breaking glass is violence? No.

(in bold)

No it wasn't a good idea in the situation yesterday. I agree. Lets hug and have sex with flowers in out hair like pacifist hippies.

I'm sorry there is in fact an actual black community separate from the white community in Oakland.

I have no doubt this is the case, but the argument you were making is that those who engaged in property destruction weren't from Oakland . . .

Well, CRUD, I agree it was a bad idea to get all smashy smashy. I just wanted to know if you would be one of those peace police-type folks...and apparently you would not be. So I think we are in agreement. You make a good case for the counterproductiveness of window-smashing for the sake of window-smashing.

jesuithitsquad

I'm sorry there is in fact an actual black community separate from the white community in Oakland.

I have no doubt this is the case, but the argument you were making is that those who engaged in violence weren't from Oakland . . .

There was no violence (besides police being violent) and yes I've lived right next to Whole Foods on Harrison St for over ten years and can say quite confidently a lot of the 100 or so blac bloc people running around aren't from Oakland. The same thing happened with the Oscar Grant issue- hell, thousands of people there in general yesterday aren't from Oakland.

I have no mushy feeling for Whole Foods or local capitalists in general - Whole Foods especially, when I've shopped there they have armed thugs in military fatigues follow me around packing visible guns. It's a nightmare of some sort of strange authoritarian hippie liberal dystopia in the living flesh. My vocal criticisms aren't coming from some misguided moral stance it's tactical.

The little teenage revolutionary vanguard made it just about impossible to keep the same crowd coming back so our efforts yesterday will remain largely symbolic. In the lead up to yesterdays strike the port had workers work extra hard to load/unload so the strike yesterday wouldn't effect anything (financially). This is one reason port workers almost walked off yesterday morning (dangerous work place conditions). Only this morning did we actually have a chance to interrupt the flow of capital and it isn't happening now is it?

From what I hear there's a small amount of people over by Adeline blocking the street st but trucks can simply go another route. Whats a bigger statement- shutting down one of Americas major ports for days on end or breaking some glass?

Any other port city watching Oakland should understand this: in order to keep the same people coming back for more than one day in order to shut down ports you need to keep it mellow or support will just fizzle away.

Is the port occupation/shutdown still in effect?

Chilli Sauce

Is the port occupation/shutdown still in effect?

Trying but not having the same amount of people makes it impossible.

JESUS CRUD. Who are you arguing with about the property destruction? No one here has said it was a good idea.

jesuithitsquad

JESUS CRUD. Who are you arguing with about the property destruction? No one here has said it was a good idea.

from tastybrain- opposition to them is usually just reactionary bullshit from people who believe in legal change within the system.

Implying I'm a reactionary reformist. Sorry if that doesn't sit well with me. I suppose I shouldn't care but the one thing everyone is talking about today is the so called "violence" anarchists facilitated. Wait and see....there will hardly be anyone there today.

Caiman del Barrio wrote - Crud - calm down posting videos of yourself and weird smears

I don't think it's a "weird smear" to point out how counterproductive breaking and burning shit was yesterday.

Did u notice when I said this:

Well, CRUD, I agree it was a bad idea to get all smashy smashy. I just wanted to know if you would be one of those peace police-type folks...and apparently you would not be. So I think we are in agreement. You make a good case for the counterproductiveness of window-smashing for the sake of window-smashing.

And yeah, people getting bent out of shape about some petty vandalism is usually reactionary bullshit. Since you've made it clear your objection is tactical rather than moral/philosophical, we are in agreement. And I did not say the property destruction was a good idea, only that opposition to it is often reactionary. As you said, a real revolution will see some real violence. So a bunch of people thinking some broken windows are the end of the world, chanting "no violence" etc. implies that they are not ready for real change, which will necessarily have a violent component.

tastybrain

CRUD

Other banks had windows smashed in and the Whole Foods up by Lake Merritt was smashed- funny seeing that place always gets smashed when the blac bloc is in town. I guess most of them shop there or something?

My guess is most of them are from the surrounding suburbs and should break shit there if they want to break shit. Pretty much fuck them. If any of you are reading this fuck you. Stay out of Oakland.

So real question; would you have been one of the people defending the whole foods chanting "no violence" (or practicing violence on the black bloc-ers as I'm sure your capable of doing)?

Not that I think black blocs are always great, or this was a great strategy, but opposition to them is usually just reactionary bullshit from people who believe in legal change within the system.

Well, I wouldn't-- protect the banks or "practice violence" on the black bloc-- unless they were about to get a whole lot of people with infants, elderly etc. caught in a police crossfire. They want to run by themselves and break a window?... all I can say is big fucking deal and who fucking cares?

But Hieronymous makes the point-- why not "flying pickets"-- going place to place making sure workers can join the strike? Much more effective than breaking bank windows.

It's a question of tactics, tactics supporting strategy, strategy leading to victory.

Oh yeah... place the race card. Hey, I don't know what the "black community" is or is not happy about, but I do know some black people back in 1967 during the "Stop The Draft" demonstrations in Oakland were upset that the size of the demonstrations had paralyzed the city and was making it difficult for them to get to work. Understandable. I know some other black people who fully supported the demonstrations despite the inconvenience.

Kind of like what white people do. Or brown. Or red. Or every shade in between.

CRUD

Yes stay out of Oakland and smash stuff where you're from. Yes.

Obviously I'm not from Oakland (says on my account). I think 'your movement' is ridiculous. There's no movement, there's nothing. There's just the pro-rev vanity of having 'normal' people join up and play your game for a few hours. "Look Bob we must be imparting our consciousness on these regular people since they are willing to march with us... just don't tell them what we really want or they might run away back to their homes". Please.

So what happens next time the out-of-towners come smash up your beloved corporate chain?

I'll just add that the two long time posters who were actually on the march were both very critical to the smashing and thought it was detrimental to a movement they both consider real.

Neither of them have previously shown any inclination of freaking out at the sight of broken glass. So I'm guessing there's something to their view on it.

Thanks for the posts Hieronymous and Crud!

Melancholy of Resistance

CRUD

Yes stay out of Oakland and smash stuff where you're from. Yes.

Obviously I'm not from Oakland (says on my account). I think 'your movement' is ridiculous. There's no movement, there's nothing. There's just the pro-rev vanity of having 'normal' people join up and play your game for a few hours. "Look Bob we must be imparting our consciousness on these regular people since they are willing to march with us... just don't tell them what we really want or they might run away back to their homes". Please.

So what happens next time the out-of-towners come smash up your beloved corporate chain?

Sorry but standing on a supply truck (big rig) on the road into the port looking back at the sea of people who came to shut it down didn't feel very ridiculous.

Yes actual socialists (not just youth breaking glass) were active in the crowd speaking to people and as I said earlier in the thread Oakland was a different beast than the rest of the US. Granted there was a lot of clueless people but engaging them is the answer not scaring them.

What was productive about breaking some windows (which will be a financial microscopic drop in the bucket to fix)? What did it accomplish? It wasn't just some "corporate chain" as a small coffee shop and a clothing collective were smashed up as well.

http://oakollectiv.blogspot.com/

[youtube]VxvOGbAgY90[/youtube]

What needs to happen is some people need to think about what motivates them, some people need to be a tad more analytical than simply holding the position of "break shit". It's all well and good to be passionate and it's all well and good to be willing to break some laws but when it's counterproductive it's...well....counterproductive. Why do you want to be counterproductive?

Do you seriously think a revolution is going to be sparked by some "anarchists" breaking windows and setting garbage cans on fire? Sure at some point action like that will be used but not before there's popular support for socialism, as in a mass movement. Doing that shit now is absurd.

Yeah as Juan says this debate is old and boring. as Cooked has pointed out CRUD and Hieronymous are not 'pacifist' (what ever that may be). CRUD's initial post sure had a bit of hyperbole, but i think he has since made his point more clearly. We all know smashing windows of health food stores is not going to wake the masses out of their slumber.

Melancholy I really don't see the point on your post. Quite a ridiculous way to treat CRUD (even if you feel he might deserve it ;)). Totally unconstructive troll really.

S. Artesian

Oh yeah... place the race card. Hey, I don't know what the "black community" is or is not happy about, but I do know some black people back in 1967 during the "Stop The Draft" demonstrations in Oakland were upset that the size of the demonstrations had paralyzed the city and was making it difficult for them to get to work. Understandable. I know some other black people who fully supported the demonstrations despite the inconvenience.

Kind of like what white people do. Or brown. Or red. Or every shade in between.

I didn't say anyone was pissed about shutting down the port or the call for a strike in general. For the life of me I can't figure out why people are such assholes online. You contrarian mother fucker :)

I'm sorry but there is a black community in Oakland, there's also an Asian community- if it were up to me we as humans wouldn't flock together with people of the same race but it happens. Smashing up locally owned black businesses is going to alienate the black community just as it would if we went to China Town and smashed up their produce stands and restaurants.

For the life of me I can't figure out why people are such assholes online. You contrarian mother fucker smile

i swear to god, sometimes i'm convinced CRUD is on a really long-term wind up. unfortunately, it's not a joke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqYM_fNsndA

I didn't say anyone was pissed about shutting down the port or the call for a strike in general. For the life of me I can't figure out why people are such assholes online. You contrarian mother fucker

I'm sorry but there is a black community in Oakland, there's also an Asian community- if it were up to me we as humans wouldn't flock together with people of the same race but it happens. Smashing up locally owned black businesses is going to alienate the black community just as it would if we went to China Town and smashed up their produce stands and restaurants.

Thank you, I've been called worse. Besides, I'm not being contrarian, I'm being consistent.

Yes, it's a stupid tactic. It's stupid on its own accord, regardless of what any color community thinks or doesn't think.

Other tactics, like the mass demonstrations at the Oakland induction center were smart tactics no matter what any color community thought of them.

Besides, neither you nor anybody else knows what the "black community" thinks. The idea of someone an individual pretending to know what a community thinks is an oxymoron.

Making a big deal out of the black bloc is another oxymoron.

Hugs a bunch,

Contrarian Motherfucker.

S. Artesian

Besides, neither you nor anybody else knows what the "black community" thinks. The idea of someone an individual pretending to know what a community thinks is an oxymoron.

Making a big deal out of the black bloc is another oxymoron.
.

During the Oscar Grant mess, in the black community, community 'leaders' and various advocates in West and East Oakland did in fact warn of "white anarchists" wanting to destroy the city. The same has happened during the occupy Oakland movement. I'm sorry that I'm aware of this :)

S. Artesian

"Making a big deal out of the black bloc is another oxymoron."

Well, not if the goal is to shut down major US ports for more than a symbolic few hours. Other port cities such as New York, LA, New Jersey and such need to keep everyone in line if stopping the flow of capital is the goal. That was the goal right?

The port shutdown that did take place, as I said, was symbolic largely because they prepared for it in a manner that wouldn't shut down commerce. The only way that strike would have moved beyond being symbolic is if we could have kept the crowd going for another day to shut down the flow of capital.

Why would there be next to no crowd there today? There was almost ten thousand people out here yesterday, we could have gained support of workers all across Oakland as was the case in 1946, could have shut the ports down, shut the city down and set a great example for the nation to follow. School kids out in the street, we're talking 4 year olds, 7 year olds, 10 year olds and their parents. Elderly people, people of all colors, people from different backgrounds and occupations (jobs). They're very important in forming a mass movement. Late last night they were alienated.

Not everyone out there were socialists, I'd say out of the crowd maybe 20% were (at most). We're not going to be able to sway the average worker in one day nor will it happen if they're afraid to bring their kids or even themselves out to the streets.

Seattle was different- the goal was to stop the WTO meeting from taking place- it wasn't attempting a prolonged occupation or to stop commerce.
A scenario I would accept actual violence in Oakland is if we shut down the port for two or three days and they sent in a large force to violently evict us in order to restore function to the ports. In that case it wouldn't even be violence it would be self defense on our part (morally speaking not necessarily legally). We didn't even get the chance to keep the crowd going into the weekend before they were all scared off.

There's a time and place and the vanguardist propaganda of the deed routine was pre-mature to say the least. It hindered the overall goal but wasn't the only defeating factor. I think future attempts at shutting down commerce need to be planned in a way that it will last for more than a few hours so I'm certainly not blaming the symbolic nature of the shut down squarely on property destruction. That's the last thing I'm going to say on the subject of breaking shit :)

My guess is most of them are from the surrounding suburbs and should break shit there if they want to break shit. Pretty much fuck them. If any of you are reading this fuck you. Stay out of Oakland.

For someone to whom the Bay Area is home, this sounds a bit ridiculous. Like many people who grew up here, I've lived and worked in all the various regions of the Bay Area, which really is one contiguous metropolis and hardly as provincial as the above statement makes it sound.

Besides, I hate to say it, but this fetishizing of borders like city limits sounds kinda "un-Libcom."

http://anarchistnews.org/node/16910

read the comments while they still aren't shit. the kids seem to be learning from their mistakes.

we need to just have dialogue with them about how it is shit strategy to elevate a tactic to an ideology practically, etc

sabotage

http://anarchistnews.org/node/16910

read the comments while they still aren't shit. the kids seem to be learning from their mistakes.

we need to just have dialogue with them about how it is shit strategy to elevate a tactic to an ideology practically, etc

That's pretty much all I've been saying but I wasn't as, lets say, diplomatic (out of frustration). I'm not writing a blog here or posting an article I'm talking shit off the top of my head. Unedited. Those of us anarchists/socialists/Marxists who actually understand capitalism need to be focusing on shifting this movement into an anti capitalist movement. Take it away from the old liberal guard via discussion, interaction and open debate not via property destruction.

S. Artesian

Besides, neither you nor anybody else knows what the "black community" thinks. The idea of someone an individual pretending to know what a community thinks is an oxymoron.

Yeah this - as well as the claim that the black blockers "weren't from Oakland" - are both bizarre, reactionary bullshit smears which Crud should really retract. Saying that 'black people don't like violence' (which is implicit in your statements) is not only absurdly untrue (in as much as you're stereotyping and speaking for a hugely diverse array of people with a hugely diverse array of perspectives) but also incredibly dangerous. In the UK in August, we heard the complete opposite of this in the press: black people are violent criminals, while white people don't like it, leading to the EDL mobilising and attempting to march on (what were perceived as) predominantly black parts of South London.

It seems to me that the US still has a very very poor record on race, and I include the anarcho-communist movement (well, Crud anyway) within that. Think through the logic of what you're saying ffs!

The movement in Oakland has been inspiring. Thousands turning out to support the occupation, to show their rejection of police repression, to manifest their anger and discontent, and all due to a call out by a General Assembly! Been trying to follow events from this side of the pond and have greatly moved by the size of the demonstrations, the self-organisation and determination.
Crud is absolutely right to say that the violence by the "black bloc" did not help develop the movement in anyway. On this side of the Atlantic it gave the media the images it wanted: protest = violence, as for the demonstrations etc they can be ignored. The strength of the working class is its conscious collective struggle, and the bourgeois want to do all they can to hid expressions of this not matter how small they may be.
For all its weaknesses this movement has starting to pose direct political questions to those involved and the working class generally, particularly if one is against capitalism what is the alternative, what are we struggling for in the long-term, how to get there? I agree with Crud that we have to shifting the open debates and interaction towards this and not letting this get side tract by pointless violence.

If you were living in Oakland you would be aware the "black community" isn't happy about white kids showing up from the surrounding suburbs setting their city on fire. It alienates the black community so pretty much get a grip on whats going on in Oakland before you open your mouth....or in this case type your thoughts (or lack there of).

As others have already pointed out, this is nonsense. Some of the uglier moments during the first Oscar Grant riots were when anarchists (including some who likely identify as "insurrectional") tried to stop black teenagers from attacking businesses in the neighborhoods these teenagers were from. Anarchists were so attached to their own practices and ideologies of property destruction (banks, etc.), that they couldn't recognize that these kids might (or might not, who knows) have valid reasons to break windows on "mom-and-pop" shops. "The black community" is obviously a mythical cross-class formation, and interactions between this community and even a small milieu like the East Bay anarchists are going to be considerably more complicated than you're accounting for.

Jesus.

Posters know that a lot of people from around the world read libcom looking for good analysis, critique, etc. right?

And we have CRUD bragging about posting drunk, trolling about the Whole Foods smash-up (yes, it was a horrible idea and super counter-productive, as every other poster has agreed), and then saying that if they were real insurrectionaries they should have shot cops!

This is exactly the kind of stuff that will turn a lot of readers off of Libcom. Can the mods please step in and say something?

We have basically been hoping that the derail would run out of steam, but this is continuing it. Let's stop talking about it now.

admin: three off topic posts removed, to continue talking about the black block please start a new thread

Occupy Oakland: second Iraq war veteran injured after police clashes

Kayvan Sabehgi, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, is in intensive care with a lacerated spleen. He says he was beaten by police close to the Occupy Oakland camp, but despite suffering agonising pain, did not reach hospital until 18 hours later.

Sabehgi, 32, is the second Iraq war veteran to be hospitalised following involvement in Oakland protests. Another protester, Scott Olsen, suffered a fractured skull on 25 October.

[...]

Sabehgi told the Guardian from hospital he was walking alone along 14th Street in central Oakland – away from the main area of clashes – when he was injured.

"There was a group of police in front of me," he told the Guardian from his hospital bed. "They told me to move, but I was like: 'Move to where?' There was nowhere to move.

"Then they lined up in front of me. I was talking to one of them, saying 'Why are you doing this?' when one moved forward and hit me in my arm and legs and back with his baton. Then three or four cops tackled me and arrested me."

Sabeghi, who left the army in 2007 and now part-owns a small bar-restaurant in El Cerrito, about 10 miles north of Oakland, said he was handcuffed and placed in a police van for three hours before being taken to jail. By the time he got there he was in "unbelievable pain".

He said: "My stomach was really hurting, and it got worse to the point where I couldn't stand up.

"I was on my hands and knees and crawled over the cell door to call for help."

A nurse was called and recommended Sabehgi take a suppository, but he said he "didn't want to take it".

He was allowed to "crawl" to another cell to use the toilet, but said it was clogged.

"I was vomiting and had diarrhoea," Sabehgi said. "I just lay there in pain for hours."

Sabehgi's bail was posted in the mid-afternoon, but he said he was unable to leave his cell because of the pain. The cell door was closed, and he remained on the floor until 6pm, when an ambulance was called.

Fucking bastards.

Steven.

We have basically been hoping that the derail would run out of steam, but this is continuing it. Let's stop talking about it now.

admin: three off topic posts removed, to continue talking about the black block please start a new thread

here:

http://libcom.org/forums/theory/blac-bloc-tactics-oakland-04112011

Occupy Oakland Traveler's Aid Building Takeover and Police Response

http://youtu.be/oSTLxcV7KMY

A lot more people that I thought, were there... O.o

Is it substitutionist if you have a few hundred people?

It seems just like they werent ready for the type of repression that went down or thought more strategically about it...i mean if they worked with community groups I bet it would have been same police response...instead people would have done non-violent CD. idk.

I'm not sure if this fits within this thread or the new one, but is the suggestion that the "vandalists" are paid government/corporate agents widespread? I've seen people alluding to this as almost obvious fact elsewhere.

Tojiah

I'm not sure if this fits within this thread or the new one, but is the suggestion that the "vandalists" are paid government/corporate agents widespread? I've seen people alluding to this as almost obvious fact elsewhere.

Oakland Copwatch

[youtube]VrvMzqopHH0[/youtube]

So apparently there are police infiltrators generally. But they said that the acts of "vandalism" (destruction/defacing of property) were perpetrated by these infiltrators, rather than by "real" members of the movement.

Sure, I just wasn't clear on where it would fit best, so I decided to start with the more general one. Thanks.

BREAKING NEWS:

Just heard on the radio, then saw on internet TV, that someone in the Occupy Oakland encampment has just been shot. Occupiers were giving the person CPR, but pigs were swarming and it seems clear that this might be a "strategy of tension" to clear the Oscar Grant Plaza tonight.

Yesterday, 5 (of 9) city council members held a press conference to pressure the mayor to crack down. Fortunately, occupiers intervened using the "people's mic" and shout them down.

This is very, very bad news.

NPR just reported that the person who was shot has died.

edit: here's an article http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/10/BA051LTHDK.DTL&tsp=1

Predictably, the Oakland politicians who are critical of Occupy Oakland have jumped all over this story

Two prominent critics of the encampment, however, said the question of whether the dead man or the killers were protesters was irrelevant.

"This camp is attracting an element that's adding to the problem that already exists," said City Council President Larry Reid.

Reid was one of five council members who held a news conference Wednesday calling for the camp's removal. They were largely drowned out by protesters.

Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente, who has also called for the camp's removal, said tonight, "Unfortunately, we will have no excuse for not taking action. This was escalating and was going to happen.

"It doesn't matter what people say," De La Fuente said. "This is a result of our inaction, and the mayor is not doing anything. The mayor is absolutely and unequivocally responsible for this."

The Oakland Police Officer's Association is at it again. Self-satire, really. Would be funny, if it wasn't so ominous for the occupiers.

An Open Letter to Occupy Oakland from the Oakland Police Officers’ Association

November 11, 2011

On behalf of the 645 Oakland police officers we represent, this letter comes to you out of duty to protect the Oakland community and its citizens.

Oakland police officers are the 99% and we understand and sympathize with your message. We respect your right to peaceful protest.

We are also sworn to protect the citizens of Oakland. Right now, Oakland is in a state of emergency.

Our police officers are the 99% struggling in Oakland neighborhoods every day to contain the 1% who rob, steal, rape and murder our law-abiding citizens. The Occupy Oakland protest, now 30 days old, is taking our police officers out of Oakland neighborhoods and away from protecting the citizens of Oakland.

In an average city in California, this might not be of emergency proportions for its citizens. Oakland is not an “average” city – we have the highest violent crime rate in California. We are the 5th most violent city in the United States – with more shootings and homicides than any city west of the Mississippi.

Last night’s murder, right in the epicenter of Occupy Oakland, is unacceptable. So is the violence being promoted by “renegade” protesters who are lighting firebombs, destroying property and attacking police.

What is even more tragic is that homicides are a frequent occurrence in Oakland. This is the real emergency: Yesterday’s murder was Oakland’s 101st homicide of 2011. It is time for us to stop directing all of our efforts at policing the small enclave of “Occupy Oakland” and get back to our job of protecting the citizens of Oakland in the neighborhoods where our residents live.

The events of recent weeks have shown that many occupiers at Frank Ogawa Plaza are citizens of other communities with limited interest in preserving the greater good and safety of our City.

Please, we ask you: Leave Frank Ogawa Plaza peacefully and immediately so Oakland Police can get back to work fighting the devastating crime that’s occurring in our neighborhoods.

You have sent the world a strong message; now it is time to go home. Your leaving today, peacefully, of your own free will, on the 30th day, will send a message to Oakland that you care about our citizens and respect our city.

With last night’s homicide, in broad daylight, in the middle of rush hour, Frank Ogawa Plaza is no longer safe. Please leave peacefully, with your heads held high, so we can get police officers back to work fighting crime in Oakland neighborhoods.

Thank you.

Hieronymous

BREAKING NEWS:

Just heard on the radio, then saw on internet TV, that someone in the Occupy Oakland encampment has just been shot. Occupiers were giving the person CPR, but pigs were swarming and it seems clear that this might be a "strategy of tension" to clear the Oscar Grant Plaza tonight.

Yesterday, 5 (of 9) city council members held a press conference to pressure the mayor to crack down. Fortunately, occupiers intervened using the "people's mic" and shout them down.

This is very, very bad news.

Hieronymous, so is there any evidence this was actually a "strategy of tension" type maneuver?

No. My bad.

But a reactionary city councilman was on the scene, trying to use the shooting death as a justification for clearing the camp.

I just got carried away reacting to the spectacular spin the bourgeois media was giving it.

Yeah, it was read out at tonight's GA, often to a chant in unison of "burn it!"

Then the GA overwhelmingly voted to collaborate with the Alameda County Central Labor Council to jointly organize a "day of mass action" on November 19th. It will include exciting speeches from AFL-CIO union piecards -- but 50% of the thrilling speeches will be by occupiers -- then a march to a bank, a foreclosed house, another bank, and then back to Oscar Grant Plaza for more titillating speeches.

My questions are: who will get the police permit, don the fluorescent vests, liaison with the pigs, and serve as the protest Pinkertons? And will Mayor Quan speak? Or other Democrats? Since all that dues payers' money -- collected by the Labor Council -- got them elected.

I was the only one who spoke against it. It was backed by a popular front of Trots, labor bureaucrats, and even the insurrectionists. It won with 106 yes votes, 16 abstentions, and 3 no votes.

Sadly, this is the death knell of Occupy Oakland, at least in its present form.

I respectfully beg to differ. The death knell of OO was built into the decision to occupy an indefensible space. Tactically, the Plaza is an excellent location, an open sore on the otherwise (to the mainstream) smooth social body; strategically, it is absurd and doomed. It is a voluntary kettle.

On a political level, a very early indication of the built-in failure occurred when the first "labor march" happened at the end of the first week of the OO and the organizers of the march reneged on their agreement to have their rally at OO. There was no denunciation - or indeed any public reaction - of this recent in a long line of union bureaucrats betraying the interests of their own rank and file - not to mention the interests of a broader section of working people.

The bourgeois illusions of the vast majority of the "99%" (don't get me started on the inherent Popular Frontism of that slogan) continues with an instinctive and uncritical alliance with labor hacks, Leninist sectarians, Third World nationalists, pacifists, and other patronizing authoritarians. So you need to add political naivete to the strategic and analytical weaknesses that have already doomed Occupy Oakland.

Nevertheless, I'll continue to see you at the Plaza, innit.

Black Badger

So you need to add political naivete to the strategic and analytical weaknesses that have already doomed Occupy Oakland.

I kept saying this, comrades kept saying this, but some of these people have been around awhile and should know better. So it might be pure Leninist opportunism fused with naivete.

Nevertheless, I'll continue to see you at the Plaza, innit.

The pig raid is impending, but yes, I'll see you there until then...

Occupy Oakland is being attacked right now.

Here's a live video stream:

http://rt.com/on-air/occupy-oakland-protest-live/