Occupy Oakland
After waiting for more than five hours for their chance to voice their opposition to a resolution intended to prevent another shutdown of the Port of Oakland, a large contingent of Occupy Oakland supporters weren’t going to go away just because the Oakland City Council decided against even hearing the measure.
Following a confrontation with police last Thursday at Frank Ogawa Plaza after being denied a permit for a canopy, Occupy Oakland protesters and local clergy members who had organized the Interfaith Tent at the former Occupy camp site had called for an “umbrella action” during which they would confront City Administrator Deanna Santana—in song and dance—about recent events.
Oakland police late Thursday night confiscated the SS Don’t Let the Banks Punk You Out, a raft launched onto Lake Merritt less than a week ago in order to advertise for the West Coast port shutdown and Occupy the lake — or Aquapy it, rather.
Occupy Oakland protesters remained at the Port of Oakland through Monday night and into Tuesday morning, disrupting business for the third time in less than 24 hours, a spokesman for Occupy Oakland said.
Thousands of people marched to the Port of Oakland on Monday evening, disrupting business at one of the nation’s busiest ports. The evening march capped off a day of planned actions at the port by Occupy Oakland protesters, who were trying to shut down the port to support port truck drivers in Oakland and across the country, as well as longshore workers in Longview, Washington who are engaged in a labor dispute with their employer, EGT Development. The evening march…
Occupy Oakland protesters claimed a win this morning after their strategic blockade forced some disruptions at the Oakland Port, the nation’s fifth largest container port. Monday’s events began with a crowd of hundreds of protesters making their way from the West Oakland BART station shortly after 5:30 a.m. down 7th Street toward various port entrances, bringing traffic to halt along the way.
In advance of Occupy protesters’ coordinated attempt to forcibly close seaports along the West coast, a breakaway group of Oakland activists decided to “Aquapy” Lake Merritt. They built a large raft, loaded it with supplies, and secretly launched it from boat docks in the dead of night.
Even though several Port-related unions have declared that they don’t support Monday’s planned Oakland Port blockade, leaders of Occupy groups are going ahead with plans to make Oakland part of a December 12 effort to shut down ports along the length of the West Coast.
At least 100 people gathered outside the West Oakland BART on Tuesday afternoon to march to a vacant house in West Oakland to protest the foreclosure of a family’s home. The protest was organized by Occupy Oakland and Causa Justa, an organization that advocates for tenant and immigrant rights.