Monday, December 12, 2011

Occupy Oakland Ports

Mayor Quan's Former Legal Advisor Briefly Joins Occupy Oakland Port Blockade (Livestream)

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8:03 AM: Oakland attorney Dan Siegel, Mayor Jean Quan's former legal adviser, was among those participating in a march to the Port of Oakland this morning for a planned blockade.
Siegel resigned as Quan's unpaid legal adviser on Nov. 14, the morning that police raided the Occupy Oakland encampment outside City Hall. He was leaving this morning's protest at about 7:20 a.m., heading to a client's court hearing.
Protesters began marching from the West Oakland BART station shortly after 5:30 a.m.
Their goal is to shut down the port all day, and they plan to hold several other marches throughout the day to disrupt shipping, including a march at 4 p.m. from Frank Ogawa Plaza, and another from the West Oakland BART station at 5 p.m.
Oakland police said this morning that they will attempt to keep the port open, but that traffic through Oakland may be disrupted as they facilitate marches through the city.
Hundreds of protesters marched on foot down Seventh Street, while others loaded into buses.
Quan held a news conference this morning at which she called on protesters to "respect the rights of the 99 percent who are trying to work today."
As of 7:30 a.m., at least 10 trucks were lined up outside the entrance to Berths 30-32 at the Port of Oakland as protesters blocked their path.
The blockade is part of a coordinated West Coast port shutdown involving Occupy movements from Anchorage, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Diego and other cities.
"They performed a coordinated attack on the whole Occupy Wall Street because this is a threatening movement to the 1 percent," organizer Boots Riley, of the hip-hop group The Coup, said today.
"This is a retaliation against that. We're causing a lot of profit loss to show it's not a feasible economic plan for them to attack us," Riley said.
Riley said the action is also in solidarity with International Longshore and Warehouse Union members in a labor dispute with grain exporter EGT in Longview, Wash., and with truck drivers in Los Angeles who are classified as independent contractors and do not receive benefits.
Port and city officials and ILWU leaders have criticized the plan, saying that the action will hurt port workers by costing them wages.
ILWU leaders have said that while they support the broader goals of the Occupy movement, they have accused Occupy activists of trying to co-opt union struggles for a broader agenda.

7:10 AM: Police have blocked several hundred Occupy Oakland protesters from entering the Port of Oakland near the corner of Seventh and Maritime Streets.
Protesters began marching from the West Oakland BART station shortly after 5:30 a.m.
They are planning to attempt to shut down the Port all day, and will hold several other marches throughout the day to disrupt shipping, including a march at 4 p.m. from Frank Ogawa Plaza, and another from the West Oakland BART station at 5 p.m.
Oakland police said this morning that they will attempt to keep Port operations open, but traffic through Oakland may be disrupted as they facilitate marches through the city.
Hundreds of protesters marched on foot down Seventh Street, while others loaded into buses.
The Oakland Port action is part of a planned coordinated West Coast port shutdown, involving Occupy movements from Anchorage, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Diego and others.
"They performed a coordinated attack on the whole Occupy Wall Street because this is a threatening movement to the one percent," organizer Boots Riley from the hip-hop group The Coup said today.
"This is a retaliation against that. We're causing a lot of profit loss to show it's not a feasible economic plan for them to attack us," Riley said.
Riley said the action is also in solidarity with International Longshore and Warehouse Union members in a labor dispute with grain exporter EGT in Longview, Wash. and with truck drivers in Los Angeles, who are classified as independent contractors and do not receive benefits.
Port and city officials and ILWU leaders have criticized the plan, saying that the action will hurt Port workers by costing them wages.
ILWU leaders have said that while they support the broader goals of the Occupy movement, they have accused Occupy activists of trying to co-opt union struggles for a broader agenda.

6:13 AM: Hundreds of Occupy Oakland protesters are marching toward the Port of Oakland and are planning to attempt to blockade the Port for the rest of the day.
Protesters began marching from the West Oakland BART station shortly after 5:30 a.m.
Protesters are planning to attempt to shut down the Port all day, and will hold several other marches throughout the day to disrupt shipping.
Hundreds of protesters are marching on foot down Seventh Street, while others loaded into buses.
Port and city officials and International Longshore and Warehouse Union leaders have criticized the plan, saying that the action will hurt Port workers.
"Business is how we're being exploited, if we don't shut it down how do you expect us to change anything," one protester marching toward the Port said, responding to charges that the action will hurt workers.
Police have been following the march in patrol cars but have not tried to disrupt the movement of protesters.
Scott Morris, Bay City News

5:34 AM: As Occupy Oakland protesters prepare to attempt to blockade the Port of Oakland today, Mayor Jean Quan asked protesters to reconsider shutting down one of the nation's busiest ports for a second time.
Quan issued an open letter to protesters on Sunday, telling them that shutting down the Port could cost workers lost wages, and affect the ability of the Port to attract business in the future.
Protesters are planning to blockade the Port beginning at 6 a.m. today, when they will march from the West Oakland BART station. Other marches are planned for 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. as well.
The action is part of a coordinated shutdown of West Coast ports, and has been endorsed by Occupy movements from Anchorage to San Diego, with each city planning a shut down of its own.
Activists in Houston are also planning to shut down the port there, and even landlocked Occupy groups in Denver and Salt Lake City are planning to disrupt Walmart distribution centers today.
Occupy Oakland previously shut down the Port of Oakland overnight during a daylong "general strike" action on Nov. 2.
"What is the target in this action? Who will it really hurt?" Quan wrote in her letter.
"The Port of Oakland is not the home of the 1 percent. Rather, it generates over 73,000 jobs in the region and is connected to more than 800,000 jobs across the country. It is one of the best sources of good paying blue-collar jobs left in our city," Quan wrote.
Occupy Oakland activists have suggested that the loss of profits by shutting down the Port will disrupt "Wall Street on the Waterfront" and the large companies shipping to and from the Port.
West Coast activists have also said the action is in solidarity with a long-standing labor dispute between International Longshore and Warehouse Union workers and grain exporter EGT in Longview, Wash.
ILWU leaders have accused the Occupy activists of attempting to co-opt the ILWU struggle for a broader agenda, suggesting that the action may do more to harm that negotiation than help it.
However, Occupy Oakland has drawn support from individual union members, and the ILWU has supported the broader goals of the Occupy movement while not directly endorsing the Port actions.
The Oakland Education Association endorsed calls for the Port shutdown Friday, encouraging members to join the action to support the ILWU struggle in Longview, the rights of non-union truck drivers, and to draw attention to under-funded education.
"Oakland is not a poor city and the wealth of the 1 percent can assist in leveling the playing field for all of our children, young adults and the 99 percent," union president Betty Olson-Jones said in a statement.
Occupy Oakland has continued to try to raise support, distributing flyers throughout the Bay Area, knocking on doors in neighborhoods near the Port, and even occupying a handmade raft in Lake Merritt.

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