Forum Post: around 5,000 show up at Oakland

OWS Oakland Takes Over City -- Around 5,000 Show Up, Businesses Shut Down (Live Blog from the Scene) Calling the protests a "general strike" resulted in an unbelievable amount of media coverage. In that sense today could be seen as a victory for the Occupy Movement.

Approximately 5,000 people participated in actions across Oakland today, with smaller marches peeling off to protest in front of banks or “occupy” foreclosed homes. There are probably three times the number of people in the streets of Oakland today as I have seen during past OWS actions here.

Did a small group of activists manage in just 5 short days of organizing to bring about the first general strike in the United States in generations?

Not exactly. But while there is no broad, city-wide general strike of the sort last seen in this country in 1946, one shouldn’t judge the effort a failure. About half of the businesses in downtown Oakland are shuttered, many with signs expressing solidarity with the occupiers. The economy of Oakland may not have been brought to a halt, but it is not functioning to full capacity.

Angela Davis gave a rousing speech at 9:30 this morning to kick off the day’s proceedings. A “children’s march” circled Frank Ogawa Plaza – renamed Oscar Grant plaza by the protesters in honor of the young man shot to death by BART police on New Year's 2009. They chanted "Play Nice and Share!" A group of high school students told me that their principal had circulated a memo giving them the day off. Calls to the school district to find out today’s attendance figures weren’t returned at press time, but many young people are in the crowd. Several teachers’ unions are participating.

There is a minimal police presence today, a striking departure from the aggressive crowd control tactics we saw in Oakland last week. The protests have been very peaceful so far.

When the protest began, a speaker at the podium said that the Port of Oakland – the 5th busiest container port in the U.S. – had been shut down by ILWU workers. But according to an International Longshore and Warehouse Union spokesperson, that was an exaggeration. A small handful of workers stayed out, but the port is open and functioning.

Occupy Oakland has vowed to change that. Activists are planning to march down to the port and set up a picket-line across which they hope workers on the evening shift won’t cross. It may be there that the friendly, peaceful nature of today’s protests is tested.

Calling this day of protests and direct actions a “general strike” has resulted in an almost unbelievable amount of media coverage – far more attention than protests against the Iraq war attended by hundreds of thousands ever received. In that sense today could be seen as a qualified victory for the Occupy Movement.

Organizers say they plan on calling for a larger general strike in Oakland in January, presumably with more lead time to organize.

You can read the whole story below (great source of news, by the way): http://www.alternet.org/occupywallst/152939/ows_oakland_takes_over_city_--_around_5%2C000_show_up%2C_businesses_shut_down_%28live_blog_from_the_scene%29/