Protestors "Occupy" Oakland

By Kurt Wagner

You can't look at a road map without stumbling upon a city currently "occupied" by angry activists. Several thousand Occupy Wall Street demonstrators gathering in Oakland forced a halt to operations at the nation's fifth busiest port Wednesday evening, escalating a movement whose tactics had largely been limited to marches, rallies and tent encampments since it began in September.

Some Santa Clara students joined Occupy Oakland for an "Oakland General Strike" Wednesday night. Police estimated that a crowd of about 3,000 had gathered at the Port of Oakland by about 5 p.m. Some had marched from the city's downtown, while others had been bused to the port.

"If they successfully shut down the city, even if it's only for a couple of hours, or if they successfully shut down that port, it's going to say something about the potential of other occupations across the U.S.," said senior Natali Rodriguez in preparation for the march.

Rodriguez feels that the Occupy Oakland movement is gaining momentum in the Bay Area, especially following Olson's recent hospitalization. Even on Santa Clara's campus which is usually reserved and isolated from issues like these, Rodriguez has seen a change.

"The occupations have been talked about a lot and politically that has surprised me because I think here there is no political discourse at all," said Rodriguez. "There's something moving people and you have to ask why."

In order to help drum up support from those who may be hesitant, Occupy Oakland activists have promised to march upon any school or business which punishes a student or employee for participating in Wednesday's march.

Over 1,600 people voted last week in the decision to carry out the "Oakland General Strike," according to the Occupy Oakland website, meaning a much larger turnout was expected for last night's protest.

"I think Wednesday is going to be a real test as to how far this movement can go," said Rodriguez earlier in the week. "I hope it won't get violent."

The march and protest was in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement and an attempt to highlight what protestors believe is a growing wealth disparity in the United States with a small, rich percentage of the population exploiting the middle and lower classes.

"The Oakland General Strike is a warning shot to the one (percent)," proclaimed the movement's website. "Their wealth only exists because the 99 (percent) creates it for them."

Oakland received national attention in the past week after police and protestors clashed last Tuesday leaving one protestor, Iraqi war veteran Scott Olson, 24, hospitalized after being struck in the head with a tear gas canister. Police used tear gas as well as bean bag rounds to control the crowd, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

Port spokesman Isaac Kos-Read said maritime operations had effectively been shut down, and interim Oakland police chief Howard Jordan warned that protesters who went inside the port's gates would be committing a federal offense.

In Philadelphia, protesters were arrested earlier Wednesday as they held a sit-in at the headquarters of cable giant Comcast. Military veterans marched in uniform in New York, angry at their dim job prospects. And parents and their kids, some in strollers, formed a "children's brigade" to join the Oakland, Calif., rallies.

"There's absolutely something wrong with the system," said Jessica Medina, a single mother who attends school part time and works at an Oakland café. "We need to change that."

In Los Angeles, New York and other cities, demonstrators held their own rallies in solidarity with the Oakland protesters, who called for Wednesday's "general strike" after the city became a rallying point last week when an Iraq War veteran was injured in clashes with police.

Protesters, city officials and business leaders were optimistic the strike would be peaceful, and there was little to no visible police presence all day.

Although windows at two bank branches and a Whole Foods store were broken and graffiti was painted inside one of the banks, officials described the protests as peaceful and orderly and said no arrests had been made.

"It is important to acknowledge the wolrd is watching Oakland tonight," city administrator Deanna Santana said as demonstrators began to gather at the port. "And we need to ensure it remains a safe place for everyone."

Oakland is no stranger to political activism. In Oakland, protests against the Bay Area Rapid Transit service have been off and on since the shooting of unarmed citizen Oscar Grant by a transit police officer in 2009.Despite the potential dangers, student activists still made the trip to Oakland for Wednesday's march.

Organizers say they want to stop the "flow of capital." The port sends goods primarily to Asia, including wine, rice, fruits and nuts, and handles imported electronics, apparel and manufacturing equipment, mostly from Asia, as well as cars and parts from Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Hyundai.

Craig Merrilees, spokesman for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, said its members were not being called to strike, but that they supported the protesters.

The members "are supporting the concerns raised by Occupy Oakland and the Occupy movement to speak up for the 99 percent and against the corporate greed that is wrecking America," Merrilees said.

Elsewhere, police in Philadelphia arrested nine protesters who staged a sit-in inside the Comcast lobby.

One protester, Bri Barton, said she was there because the gleaming Comcast tower represents excessive wealth in a city with many blighted neighborhoods. "It's hard for me to see this and that existing in the same city," she said.

In New York, about 100 military veterans marched in uniform and stopped in front of the New York Stock Exchange, standing in loose formation as police officers on scooters separated them from the entrance. On the other side was a lineup of NYPD horses carrying officers with nightsticks.

"We are marching to express support for our brother, (Iraq war veteran) Scott Olsen, who was injured in Oakland," said Jerry Bordeleau, a former Army specialist who served in Iraq through 2009.

The veterans were also angry that returned from war to find few job prospects.

"Wall Street corporations have played a big role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Bordeleau, now a college student. He said private contractors have reaped big profits in those countries.

In Boston, college students and union workers marched on Bank of America offices, the Harvard Club and the Statehouse to protest the nation's burgeoning student debt crisis.

They say total outstanding student loans exceed credit card debt, increase by $1 million every six minutes and will reach $1 trillion this year, potentially undermining the economy.

"There are so many students that are trying to get jobs and go on with their lives," said Sarvenaz Asasy of Boston, who joined the march after recently graduating with a master's degree and $60,000 in loan debt. "They've educated themselves and there are no jobs and we're paying tons of student loans. For what?"

Some parts of this article first appeared on USATodayCollege.com. Contact Kurt Wagner at jwagner@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852. Lisa Leff, Terrence Chea and Terry Collins of the Associated Press contributed to this article.