General Strike! - Oakland,CA - 11/2/11

[black magick hustla]

so occupy oaklands ga ratifierd general strike for nov 2. i think it has some potential, because of facebook and stuff, and everyone is angry at the cops chimping out on the protestors. it would be interesting if other ocws would pick it up. it would be incredible if oakland is shut down by a wildcat strike, but it is unlikely.

[R_P_A_S]

how can someone call a general strike when most of the union leadership in the USA seems to be comfy in bed with the bosses?

[black magick hustla]

i dont think its a call for union workers necessarily. its just a call for ppl to walk out of their jobs. nobody is asking the unions to organize this.

[o well this is ok I guess]

how can someone call a general strike when most of the union leadership in the USA seems to be comfy in bed with the bosses? Depends on which unions you deal with.
That aside, you don't need unions to strike.

[socialistjustin]

This is pretty fucking amazing. They also apparently called for a student walkout on the 9th. This is easily the most exciting thing to come out of this movement so far.

[Jose Gracchus]

The student walk-out should be at the same day as the wildcat/general strike. People should walk-out of work or call in sick or do what they can. If we could build this as much as possible it would be quite the bridge out of the political ghetto to working-class action. I hope Oakland can bed shut down at least, probably not though.

[A Marxist Historian]

how can someone call a general strike when most of the union leadership in the USA seems to be comfy in bed with the bosses?

Good question, unfortunately.

It does show once again that Occupy Oakland is much better than anyplace else.

I'd like to say that's because it's my home town, but unfortunately that would not be true.

-M.H.-

[Rocky Rococo]

I would think that organized, union labor of the AFL-CIO type will be the least likely to participate in a general strike, except for that rather large local that will be in the streets cracking open the heads of those that are striking and demonstrating. The AFL unions are totally subservient to the NLRB that fucks them coming and going , and the NLRB says no political strikes allowed. Therefore the union leaderships will actively organize against a general strike among their members.

This is a case where the tiny size of today's US unions plays to our advantage. Cutting out the AFL unions only removes about 6-8% of the private sector work force from the potential participation in the general strike.

In a sense it's very similar to the conditions that prevailed at the time of the great IWW general strikes a century ago, the tiny AFL labor aristocracy worked hard to suppress and break the strikes, but they were swept aside by the mass movement of the non-AFL workers who would follow the Wobbly lead in places like Lawrence.

[Le Socialiste]

This is a move in the right direction. By declaring a 'general strike' Occupy Oakland's participants appear to recognize the necessity in gaining the support and presence of the workers. It also allows the occupation to take on a class awareness that might have been missing in prior efforts. The important thing is to lay the groundwork for such action, and try to get broad swathes of the working-class in Oakland (and the Bay Area in general) to come out.


how can someone call a general strike when most of the union leadership in the USA seems to be comfy in bed with the bosses?

You don't need the approval of the union leadership, corrupt and subservient to private capital as they are. One of the efforts we need to make is impress upon unionized workers the reality of their situation in relation to how their unions functions and subverts (rather than aids) their movement. In fact, if more workers would break with their union leadership and cease to recognize them as their 'managers' I suspect we would see more independent action undertaken by the unionized sectors of the economy. The role of the union boss and bureaucracy isn't to fight for the gains of the workers but to undermine their efforts in fighting the system. So it's important that the working-class works independently of top-down unions and their leadership; besides, like I said earlier, you don't need their permission.

[rararoadrunner]

Here it is! Occupy Oakland GA (http://www.occupyoakland.org/) just voted up a general strike by 96%!



Video of the vote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOMRom8DLvY

[thriller]

The dock workers at the Oakland ports flew upside down Wisconsin flags in solidarity with the protests in Madison back in April. I think the class-conscience of Oakland is greater than most people expect. This will hopefully inspire others across the US, and the world.

[Ocean Seal]

96%. Maybe it won't be shut down, but every organizational experience is an experience. Always forward.

[Lenina Rosenweg]

As I understand the teacher's union is going along with this as is the ILWU. I do not know if other locals will. Whether or not many people respond to this it is good for the idea of a general strike to get out.

Oakland is, as I understand the 4th largest port in the US.There have been west coast dockworker strikes before (one in support of Mumia in '05 if I remember)but there has been a near total media black out.This time it will be more difficult to cover this up.

At the least many businesses will shut down and there will be a school walk out.

Overall the movement needs to be continued and deepened.The Occupy movement needs to be moved into workplaces and schools.

[socialistjustin]

I thought the ILWU and Teachers Union said no? The only locals that I know have said they would do it is ILWU 10 and a local Brotherhood of Carpenters Union.

[x359594]

...Overall the movement needs to be continued and deepened.The Occupy movement needs to be moved into workplaces and schools.

Absolutely right. I just heard last night from a worker at Cal State Long Beach that a one day strike is being planned with the intention of starting one day rolling strikes through out the entire system culminating in a complete shutdown.

[tir1944]

"The proletariat must lead everything!"
And that's true.
Because we can see what happens when petit-bourg. take the lead.

[Jimmie Higgins]

I think at worst, this will be a big turn out including lots of students and workers - if it is just a big walkout, then maybe it will be a dress rehearsal and convince occupy participants about doing more systematic outreach (which is happening now in haste, but hadn't really happened before the police attack) and the importance of utilizing the broad public support we currently enjoy.

But also, in this atmosphere, we should also expect the possibility that it will be bigger than we might normally expect. The GAs have been 2 or 3 times as large (at least) since the police raids and people came out in larger numbers in defiance... this is a very good trajectory. I think the police raid will be a turning point for the whole bay area that the police attacks in NYC were for occupy wall street.

The ILWU has expressed support, the teachers are pissed (Oakland attacked protesters, spending millions of dollars at the same time that they voted to close 5 elementary schools - "Money for schools not for repression by cops!") and we will at least get rank and file support - probably from the nurses as well. The local community colleges have had their own mini-occupies on campus and will be marching down and have been trying to organized walkouts.

There's just public outreach going on too, and each march was getting bigger even before the police attack, so again, at the very least, this will be the biggest day for the Oakland movement. If shit goes down, if police do anything like before (unlikely IMO, but like a trained tiger, it's deadly to assume that you know what they are really going to do), then we could see the strike spread and continue past the one day and start to resemble what we might properly call a general strike. I'm trying to keep my head on straight about this, but I have to say there is something awfully fucking romantic and poetic about the possibility that the location of the last general strike of a past wave of labor militancy could be the first location in a new wave of working class militancy.

But we shall see.

[DaringMehring]

I have seen so-called "Communists" criticize this as a call by privileged petty-bourgeoisie, as if they can boss workers around without respecting organizing tasks, unions, etc.

I couldn't disagree more.

This isn't bossing the working class, this is attempting to reach out and broaden the struggle, by involving the working class. It is entirely the right reaction.

"Not enough time" -- even if it "fails," it will give experience to all involved, and help develop the movement. You have to learn by practice in struggle.

"Circumvents the unions" --- all the better. The top union bureaucrats are experts in killing struggles. Involve them at your own peril. They're bound by bourgeois legality -- the law of the 1% -- and, at the top levels, some of them are the 1%.

"Petty bourgeoisie" --- not fair to characterize a heterogenous movement this way. Also not right to criticize a move to the workers because it's done by supposed "petty bourgeoisie." If it was a move to the capitalists or bourgeois politicians, ok. But not a move that could bring many working class people into the movement.

"Too white, they're all from Danville and Orinda, they're arrogant to think they're the boss of Oakland" --- now we're well into the COINTELPRO playbook. Trying to divide the movement based on color, never mind that a strike such as this is a way to bring communities together, not divide them.

In short --- best of luck to the Occupy of my old home-town of Oakland in the strike organizing. A mass walkout will be a big scare the bourgeoisie there, and elsewhere.

After all, it always comes down to the question -- whose side are the people on.

[RedTrackWorker]

For Jimmie Higgins and others in Oakland or with a feel for it: Nov 2nd will be big there, but say there isn't much actual strike action, do you think it'll make the movement look weak having called for a general strike and only gotten a mass day of action? Or if they shut down the ports but there isn't much strike action, will that be a boost or make them look weak do you think?

It's hard for me to evaluate from here. If OWS called for a general strike, I would honestly just have to say they were assholes because they have no sense of what that would and could mean for the workers they were calling on and it would just emphasize the big gap between the workers' movement here and OWS. But I realize Oakland and Occupy Oakland are different in important ways from the stuff here. Does that make sense?

[Ocean Seal]

Overall the movement needs to be continued and deepened.The Occupy movement needs to be moved into workplaces and schools.
Spoken like a true Marxist. The most important thing that can come from the Occupy movement is discussion. Discussion in the workplaces, in the schools, in the home, hell even on facebook. Letting people know that their friends and family are part of the occupy movement, getting the words strike, working class, 99% back in the language of the working class is a huge ideological victory. Getting people to see these protesters as human despite the right demeaning them as violent, and bottom feeding. Ruining the businesses of the petit-bourgeoisie, and preventing the middle class from having a nice view without seeing all the terrible things that capitalism creates. Fuck Bloomberg and every mayor that tries to kick them out. This time the capitalist class in America has finally bitten off more than they can chew.

[R_P_A_S]

With the HIGH LEVEL of individualism, lack of class consciousness and unity that plague the american working class there's very little concept of organization and strength in numbers amongst the general public.

EXAMPLE: say you work with 20 other people at a non unionized factory. Everyone is pretty much out for them selves because they aren't class conscious.. 4 people might strike and the other 16 show up for work because they dont wanna lose their job.

The workers are at a huge disadvantage against their employers when a handful of people take it upon themselves to call a general strike. We know how people are... They are going to mind their own business. I'm willing to bet there are more people within oakland who are employed who don't feel the brutal action by police effect them directly since they fail to grasp the bigger picture.

I want to be wrong and wanna see a huge mass labor strike... But the obvious points to the contrary.

[Jimmie Higgins]

For Jimmie Higgins and others in Oakland or with a feel for it: Nov 2nd will be big there, but say there isn't much actual strike action, do you think it'll make the movement look weak having called for a general strike and only gotten a mass day of action? Or if they shut down the ports but there isn't much strike action, will that be a boost or make them look weak do you think?This is a very good question and one that I have been talking with people and debating in all the committees. We had been trying to set up a labor/occupy solidarity committee to bring in rank and file labor allies and bring in unionized occupation participants together to try and do outreach in their unions, put pressure on their union (many of which had passed the usual "support" resolutions) - particularly in case of a police attack. Well, the attack happened before any organizing that might have helped actually create the kind of links and connections needed could be established. The outreach committee in general seemed to be slow-moving before the attack by police.

But now there is a separate strike assembly before the actual GA and there have been hundreds of people there, people are doing outreach and trying hard to catch up for some of the slack organizing before.

But part of the call is for people to "leave work if you can" and I think this shows that the occupiers do realize that they lack the links and organization to call real general strike at this point.

Will this be demoralizing? I think there are several things in our favor if we take for granted that the "general strike" will probably be more like a large labor/movement mobilization. One, the marches so far have only been a few-thousand large and none of them had been organized beyond a facbook announcement and word of mouth in the camps. Now there is real outreach to labor and community so I think we can expect that this action will probably be the biggest for Oakland yet. Wind is in the sails for this call because since the police attack there has been larger turnouts, so momentum will help this call too. Lastly, because the occupies are a larger movement in many places, I think this lowers the risks for demoralization if the call flops. It will cause people in Oakland to have to debate and assess and reconsider things, but it will not cause the entire occupy movement to become disheartened or disoriented - in fact it may teach people in other locations.


It's hard for me to evaluate from here. If OWS called for a general strike, I would honestly just have to say they were assholes because they have no sense of what that would and could mean for the workers they were calling on and it would just emphasize the big gap between the workers' movement here and OWS. But I realize Oakland and Occupy Oakland are different in important ways from the stuff here. Does that make sense?Yes, it makes absolute sense. This is a young movement full of people who haven't been involved in things before - and full of radicals who have had little opportunities to be part of a popular movement of this kind. Things are very fluid, and like I said I would be pleasantly surprised, frankly, if this became more than just a big rally with much more labor support/involvement. But in a lot of ways, this attempt is mobilizing the occupation in ways they should have been doing for a while, so I think this really is a step forward for this movement and the risks for failure are low for the movement as a whole. If it doesn't work it can still be argued that we need to do more as a movement to connect to workers and schools etc, if it's a big turn-out then we have the basis for organizing more.

[RedTrackWorker]

Just found this page (https://sites.google.com/a/oaklandea.org/oea/occupy-oakland-november-2nd-general-strike) which has the Oakland teacher's and Alameda Labor Council endorsing Nov. 2 as a day of action. This seems to back up Jimmie Higgins's points that Nov. 2 will be a strong showing.


I think there are several things in our favor if we take for granted that the "general strike" will probably be more like a large labor/movement mobilization.

I do want to push this point a bit because that's precisely the thing it's not clear to me we can take for granted. "General strike" was trending on twitter because of this. If Nov. 2nd was built for and billed as a mass day of action and was that, I think it'd be a clear step forward. I tend to think that you're right that that's how people will take it, but it is being widely popularized as a strike--so if there's not much strike action, will that be taken as weakness? I hope not, but in this case I tend to think it would've been better to build it explicitly as a mass day of action (and organize workplace actions were possible).


Lastly, because the occupies are a larger movement in many places, I think this lowers the risks for demoralization if the call flops.

This is a bit of a different point but I tend to disagree with this. Some occupations are bigger but this is the main occupation with an immediate chance of bringing out the milieu the occupations represent so far, which I think has to be done soon to keep up momentum. Nov. 2nd could be a critical day for the OWS phenomenon.

[Os Cangaceiros]

I'm cautiously optimistic. Even if a large walk-out from school happened, that'd be pretty cool.

[Os Cangaceiros]

someone posted this on libcom, and I thought it was good, so I'm posting it here:


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.

[A Marxist Historian]

For Jimmie Higgins and others in Oakland or with a feel for it: Nov 2nd will be big there, but say there isn't much actual strike action, do you think it'll make the movement look weak having called for a general strike and only gotten a mass day of action? Or if they shut down the ports but there isn't much strike action, will that be a boost or make them look weak do you think?

It's hard for me to evaluate from here. If OWS called for a general strike, I would honestly just have to say they were assholes because they have no sense of what that would and could mean for the workers they were calling on and it would just emphasize the big gap between the workers' movement here and OWS. But I realize Oakland and Occupy Oakland are different in important ways from the stuff here. Does that make sense?

Things are different out here, the Bay Area is not New York. None of that "human mike" crap, we use bullhorns and to hell with the rules. And plenty of "abolish capitalism" signs up front and center. *Both* the Oakland *and* the SF Labor Councils have given "official sanction" to OWS, so in theory, if OWS throws up a picket line at a workplace the rule is picket line means don't cross. Wise not to test that however at a workplace not up for it.

The union support is real. That's why Occupy SF wasn't taken down Friday, because several top labor officials joined the occupation so Mayor Ed Lee had to back down. And of course Quan is backing down vs. Occupy Oakland, with serious calls for her resignation floating around. Her top aide, Dan Siegal, briefly threatened to resign.

The test will be what happens, which has been seriously discussed, if Occupy Oakland marches to the waterfront. No way would Local 10 cross a picket line at this point, what with the past history, and even more with the battle of Longview going on.

And if the port shuts down for a day, not as one of the every so often ritualized one day demonstration shutdowns planned in advance for months, with the shipowners simply having the ships show up on a different day, but in response to OWS, that is a blow from the fist of the working class, and a powerful example to the rest of the workers movement out here--and in New York too. The workers in New York need to follow the Oakland example and rip OWS out of the hands of the middle class jerks in charge of it now.

A step in the direction of real general strike action done the only way it can be, called by the workers in their unions themselves.

-M.H.-

[Grigori]

We shouldn't forget that police brutality, protest, and rioting in Oakland is nothing new. Within the last couple of years i remember a video of a cop shooting a man in cold blood. That pissed people off. Many of the protesters were working class leftists, although i doubt black power enthusiasts would be friends of this board.

[Sinister Cultural Marxist]

The strike is nov 2, mods please change the incorrect title

http://www.occupyoakland.org/


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.


"What if there were a revolution and everyone came a day late?"

[Martin Blank]

The strike is nov 2, mods please change the incorrect title

Done. You can stop screaming now. ;)

[R_P_A_S]

Guys... I have a questions. Is this General Strike JUST symbolic? I mean.. don't the people strike and demand certain things and carry on the strike until their demands are met? What are the demands of this General Strike? Because if its simply to show support for the poor vet who got shot in the head by that "non-lethal projectile" and to tell the cops and Mayor Quan that they are angry.. what's the long term goal?

I realized that there will be money lost if they successfully shut down the port but what happens the next day and the day after? they will eventually remake that money.. I dunno.. I'm just trying to find sense in all this and if its something people can build of.

[Jimmie Higgins]

There are some demands (though not called "demands"). This might not be the exact wording that was proposed (I thought it was different, but things are kind of a blur these days), but this was on the website:



• Solidarity with the world-wide Occupy movement!
• End police attacks on our communities!
• Defend Oakland schools and libraries!
• Against an economic system built on imperialism, inequality and corporate power that perpetuates all forms of oppression and the destruction of the environment!

So, yes, it is more or less symbolic and more "points of agreement" about the strike. We also just passed resolutions to defend any workers who face discipline from their employers for participating.

So more or less it will be a show of support and flexing some muscle while the city and police are still on their heels. We should see it as an important next step, not the endgame. If it is at least decent it will show many more people that this is not just a "youth event" but actually a fight in the interests of the working class that can link up with the broader population in the city.

Personally I would have liked to see a demand like "defund the police to fund the 5 elementary schools Oakland is shutting down". Actually maybe just "defund and disarm the police/free education for all" :) But that might have been a harder fight to win 90% consensus.

Considering the resistance to any demands in this movement in general, these points of unity are a step forward. If people are arrested or face employer backlash at work, then those would be obvious demands for future actions.

[ellipsis]

Oakland General Assembly calls for a General Strike and Mass Day of Action in Oakland, CA:

"We as fellow occupiers of Oscar Grant Plaza propose that on Wednesday November 2, 2011, we liberate Oakland and shut down the 1%.

We propose a city wide general strike and we propose we invite all students to walk out of school. Instead of workers going to work and students going to school, the people will converge on downtown Oakland to shut down the city.

All banks and corporations should close down for the day or we will march on them.

While we are calling for a general strike, we are also calling for much more. People who organize out of their neighborhoods, schools, community organizations, affinity groups, workplaces and families are encouraged to self organize in a way that allows them to participate in shutting down the city in whatever manner they are comfortable with and capable of.

The whole world is watching Oakland. Let’s show them what is possible."

http://www.occupyoakland.org/2011/10/general-strike-mass-day-of-action/

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/383416_267239616645975_100000798165569_694182_2793 38718_n.jpg

[praxis1966]

Well, for one thing, as has been mentioned by several others here, there has been a lot of show of support by organized labor. ILWU Local 10 has agreed to respect the blockade, Medical Marijuana Workers' Union is walking out, Oakland teachers have actually agreed to use Monday and Tuesday as "teach in" days to help educate their students on issues of justice and inequality.

As for the goal of the strike, well, personally I think it's twofold. First, the strike is a goal in and of itself. It's a way to show capital and the government that we have more power than they do. Second, I think it's a match to a fuse. What I'm hoping is that if this goes well, other cities will follow suit. Let's be honest, after the events on Tuesday, the whole focus of the worldwide media and Occupy movement shifted from New York to Oakland... So I'm thinking that we could be quite inspirational to other cities.

At any rate, I'm on the digital media team for November 2nd, so if any of you have anything you want answered or shit you need info on, feel free.

[praxis1966]

Thought I'd pop in and see if I couldn't direct you guys to the ad hoc Facebook media page for the Occupy Oakland general strike on November 2nd. There's a bunch of videos, fliers, and other good shit you can share on your wall if you wanna help get the word out. Page name on there is OakStrikeMedia.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/308534_304152269597856_303884676291282_1385178_792 912569_n.jpg

[R_P_A_S]

if I didn't understand spanish I would think this flyer is for a night club! lol ;)

[praxis1966]

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/386637_304130372933379_303884676291282_1385109_163 4215131_n.jpg
You're right, it does look a little party time-ish.... ^That's the English version, here's another.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/298875_10150440748081756_617656755_10441288_159751 6458_n.jpg

[praxis1966]

Boots Riley of The Coup and Streetsweeper Social Club discusses the events of Tuesday the 18th.

TfNmhbB59g4

[ellipsis]

Threadz Merged.

praxis if you wanted this to be a separate thread... too bad. :)

[praxis1966]

Threadz Merged.

praxis if you wanted this to be a separate thread... too bad. :)

Nah Totally understand. I just didn't notice the other one. Good lookin' out, bro.

[praxis1966]

UPDATE: SEIU Local 1021 has just ratified the general strike and will be walking out. This is momentous news since they represent public workers like librarians and sanitation workers, plus nurses and social workers. In other words, the single largest union local in Alameda County will be marching with us... So it appears this is more than just a little symbolic.

[R_P_A_S]

UPDATE: SEIU Local 1021 has just ratified the general strike and will be walking out. This is momentous news since they represent public workers like librarians and sanitation workers, plus nurses and social workers. In other words, the single largest union local in Alameda County will be marching with us... So it appears this is more than just a little symbolic.

nice!

[Le Socialiste]

UPDATE: SEIU Local 1021 has just ratified the general strike and will be walking out. This is momentous news since they represent public workers like librarians and sanitation workers, plus nurses and social workers. In other words, the single largest union local in Alameda County will be marching with us... So it appears this is more than just a little symbolic.

That's really encouraging news. Hopefully this will pick up momentum...

[TheGodlessUtopian]

UPDATE: SEIU Local 1021 has just ratified the general strike and will be walking out. This is momentous news since they represent public workers like librarians and sanitation workers, plus nurses and social workers. In other words, the single largest union local in Alameda County will be marching with us... So it appears this is more than just a little symbolic.

Awesome! Now it actually does have some potential. :thumbup1:

[Commissar Rykov]

UPDATE: SEIU Local 1021 has just ratified the general strike and will be walking out. This is momentous news since they represent public workers like librarians and sanitation workers, plus nurses and social workers. In other words, the single largest union local in Alameda County will be marching with us... So it appears this is more than just a little symbolic.
This is excellent news!

[A Marxist Historian]

Guys... I have a questions. Is this General Strike JUST symbolic? I mean.. don't the people strike and demand certain things and carry on the strike until their demands are met? What are the demands of this General Strike? Because if its simply to show support for the poor vet who got shot in the head by that "non-lethal projectile" and to tell the cops and Mayor Quan that they are angry.. what's the long term goal?

I realized that there will be money lost if they successfully shut down the port but what happens the next day and the day after? they will eventually remake that money.. I dunno.. I'm just trying to find sense in all this and if its something people can build of.

One day strikes do not require particular demands, as they are time-limited. This is far from uncommon in the history of the movement, and can be a useful tactic.

What happens the next day and the day after? What happens is that a precedent has been set, and the idea of a general strike is back in the consciousness of the working class in America, at least in the East Bay.

What could the possible demand be? Well, to get rid of capitalism and establish socialism, I suppose. Nothing short of that could accomplish the goals, or rather what the goals should be, of the OWS movement.

But even in Oakland, the working class is a long, long way away from that.
So a limited one-day protest strike with no particular demands is exactly the right way to go. That is, if it has enough working class support not to be a blank shot. Fortunately it does, at least on paper.

Will it have that in reality? We'll find out day after tomorrow.

First victory: Mayor Quan has just announced that municipal employees can take the day off if they like! They won't get paid, but they won't get disciplined or anything. (Except cops of course).

So if nothing else, Occupy Oakland clearly has her on the run! This certainly creates the possibility of broadening the strike.

-M.H.-

[Dunk]

I think this was briefly mentioned earlier in the thread but hasn't yet been shared properly

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/10/29/18695860.php



Carpenters Local 713 represents 3,000 mostly private sector construction workers in Alameda County, California and passed the following motion tonight (Thurs October 27th,2011) by a standing vote with an overwhelming majority.



Local 713 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters stands in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. We support the right of all working people to organize and peacefully assemble to demand their rights.

We further agree that the 1% should not continue to go untaxed while the 99% face layoffs, pay and benefit cuts, foreclosures and the closing of our children's schools and our public services.

We further strongly condemn the police brutality used against the Occupy Oakland movement and the devastating injury inflicted on Iraq veteran Scott Olsen.

We further resolve to support the call of the 2,000 Oaklanders at Occupy Oakland for a one-day strike in Oakland for Wednesday November 2nd, 2011, to protest our country's rising inequality and the brutal actions of the police in the city of Oakland, California.

To be sent to Mayor Jean Quan and the Oakland Police Department.

[Ele'ill]

There are Nov. 2nd solidarity actions and marches in the works up here.

[ellipsis]

There are Nov. 2nd solidarity actions and marches in the works up here.

Fuck yah!

We're gonna strike! Gonna shut em down!

[RED DAVE]

U.C. UAW Local Support of General Strike

October 31, 2011

UAW 2865 Resolution in Support of Occupy Oakland General Strike

Whereas UAW 2865 witnesses firsthand how the 1% (in the form of UC Regents and top UC executives) conspire to steal ever more from students and workers through repeated tuition hikes, reduced services, layoffs, increased workloads, outsourcing and other austerity measures; and

Whereas we stand for the rights of all people to living wage jobs with affordable health care, quality education, a voice on the job, fair housing and a well-funded public sector, and

WHEREAS: Unemployment is the highest it has been since the Great Depression, and people are staying unemployed longer now than in the Great Depression, 1/3 of California homes are underwater, 1/5 of the foreclosures nation-wide are in California, and San Franciscans alone have lost almost $6 billion in home value costing their city over $74 million, and

WHEREAS: Occupy Wall Street is a people-powered movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Manhattan’s Financial District, and has spread to over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,500 cities globally. The movement is inspired by popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, and the Wisconsin protests earlier this year, and aims to expose how the richest 1% of people are writing the rules of an unfair global economy that is foreclosing on our future, and

WHEREAS: the Occupy Wall Street has galvanized public sentiment and a broad-based movement protesting the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process, and the role of Wall Street in creating an economic collapse that has caused the greatest recession in generations, and

WHEREAS: the National AFL-CIO and Change to Win coalitions have endorsed Occupy Wall Street, a growing number of trade union activists have joined this movement, both as individual workers, and as part of an increasing number of International and Local union contingents connecting their own fights to the larger demands of the movement for economic justice and fairness, and

WHEREAS: Union and Community organizations together have been working in coalition since the crash of the economy to force Banks to pay for public services and to renegotiate predatory loans with home owners, governments, and non-profit agencies, and

WHEREAS: public safety officers have used excessive force against peaceful protesters at Oscar Grant (Frank Ogawa) Plaza and violated their first amendment rights when more than 500 public safety officers with firearms aimed at the occupiers, tore down their tents in a predawn raid on October 25; and

WHEREAS: public safety officers on the evening of Oct. 25 again used excessive force injuring and endangering the lives of demonstrators when they marched on the evening of October 25th to protest the violence against the occupiers that morning;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that this union will encourage its members and allies to act in support of Nov. 2 actions and honors as a “Sanctioned Union Strike Line” OccupyOakland and Occupy Wall Street, encourages union members and Local unions to participate in the movement, will actively support any unionized or non-unionized worker who refuses to break up, “raid,” or confiscate the belongings of protesters, and calls on unions representing DPW workers to not participate in such activity, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this union and its allies stand with our sisters and
brothers of Occupy Wall Street, OccupyOakland, and cities and towns across the country who are fed up with an unfair economy that works for 1% of Americans while the vast majority of people struggle to pay the bills, get an education, and raise their families, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UAW 2865 recognizes that protest movements, like strike lines and organizing campaigns, do not have curfews, are not 9-5 activities, and in doing so UAW 2865 recognizes and will work to protect the right for OccupyOakland to protest 24 hours a day, on-site and with proper protection including food, medical supplies, water, and tents, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UAW 2865 has endorsed and will continue to endorse and turn-out members to OccupyOakland rallies and events, to provide in-kind donations like tents and food, and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that UAW 2865 joins its sister unions in the UC Berkeley Labor Coalition in forwarding this resolution for adoption to other local unions and central labor bodies.http://www.occupyoakland.org/STRIKE/

RED DAVE

[The Douche]

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/10/unions-say-they-wont-strike-occupy-oakland/44287/

Welp...

[kurr]

... You know that this is five days old, right?

[S.Artesian]

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/10/unions-say-they-wont-strike-occupy-oakland/44287/

Welp...


Plausible deniability, comrade; plausible deniability.

[citizen of industry]

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/10/unions-say-they-wont-strike-occupy-oakland/44287/

Welp...

This is bad news but I'm not surprised. The labor law is set up that way. Wildcats are illegal, as are "political" strikes and solidarity strikes. A strike vote has to be taken, and notice has to be given to employers. If any of these unions have undergone collective bargaining with their employers and signed a collective agreement it is very hard to strike without negotiations. At least that's how the law is where I am - I'm guessing it's similar to the US. The beauracrats sure as hell wont like it.

Unions don't have the membership and power they did decades back. With 40% of the workforce unionized they could ignore labor law and just use the force of numbers/halt production. With only about 12% unionized it's a much bigger risk and doesn't have the same effect, and if their employers sue them they have no defense in court.

Personally, I was surprised that OWS called for a general strike on very short notice and then afterwards went about getting union support, and not the other way around. Plus, they were calling for non-unionized people to just walk off their jobs, right? That's asking to get fired because you don't have the legal protections of the union/labor law.

The article mentions sick-ins, that's a good idea to make a statement but it's a more useful tactic for getting employers to negotiate than political change, IMO.

Anyway, some unions are supporting it and IWLU is militant, so we'll see. Hopefully something comes off.

[S.Artesian]

Plausible deniability, comrades,... the ILWU cannot explicitly endorse such an action as such action is not based in either the violation of, or in furtherance of, the terms of their contract.

What you don't get in the press are the hand signals being flashed among the rank and file while this discussion takes place in, and for the benefit of, the press.

[The Douche]

Plausible deniability, comrades,... the ILWU cannot explicitly endorse such an action as such action is not based in either the violation of, or in furtherance of, the terms of their contract.

What you don't get in the press are the hand signals being flashed among the rank and file while this discussion takes place in, and for the benefit of, the press.

This is what I would like to think, but since I don't know any longshoremen, I'm not gonna go and say that "oh they're just covering their asses".


I know there has been a lot of support amongst the rank and file for the occupations, and I have heard that there is a lot of support for the strike action by the rank and file.

I post this mainly because it illustrates the way that the "representatives of the working class" are often in reality, against the working class. (recuperators/mediators etc)

[Os Cangaceiros]

Personally, I was surprised that OWS called for a general strike on very short notice and then afterwards went about getting union support, and not the other way around.

They were trying to capitalize on their momentum. It's arguable, I suppose, whether this was the right decision...personally I've come around to the viewpoint that, had they waited, there would've been a high probability that the whole situation would've died down and many would sink into political apathy.

Also, not a suprise that the leadership of these groups aren't endorsing the action, considering the legal implications...

[RedTrackWorker]

I post this mainly because it illustrates the way that the "representatives of the working class" are often in reality, against the working class. (recuperators/mediators etc)

While the union bureaucracy in this country as a whole functions against the interests of the working class and the ILWU plays its own role in that, I don't think this is the best article to illustrate it as it appears the longshore activists have coordinated for Occupy Oakland to set up picket lines for the second shift, which means the longshore workers won't be able to get to work but are themselves not responsible for calling a strike in violation of their contract. This was done at universities in the area for the March 4th actions recently.

Remember the Longview stuff that got a lot of people excited? It was all officially "unsanctioned".

Look at what the ILWU rep said:
"It’s virtually impossible for any union to endorse a work-stoppage because all contracts have no-strike clauses" and then the article:
"Merrilees refused to speculate on whether port workers would join the general strike next Thursday".

So he's not saying "DON'T DO IT" (which is what the TWU International said on our 2005 transit strike), he's saying essentially "We can't formally endorse and I won't comment on whether people will do it anyway". Now who knows what's going on behind closed doors, etc. but this is not the same as the tradition union leaders sabotage struggle in every way possible shtick.

[Dunk]

What I'm really, really interested to see is whether any unorganized workers, especially food-service come out for the strike.

[ellipsis]

Threadz Merged.

[ellipsis]

Also, im self employed and work part time anyways, but I will be on strike and in Oakland on wednesday.

[ellipsis]

Here is a list of endorsements and support statements:


SEIU LOCAL 1021 Call to Action for Nov 2 (http://seiu1021.org/story/november-2-join-oakland%E2%80%99s-peaceful-day-action)
U.C. UAW Local Support of General Strike (http://www.occupyoakland.org/2011/10/u-c-uaw-local-support-of-general-strike/)
Alameda Central Labor Council endorses Nov 2 (http://www.occupyoakland.org/2011/10/alameda-central-labor-council-endorses-nov-2/) – [2] (http://www.occupyoakland.org/2011/10/alameda-central-labor-council-supports-occupy-oaklandwall-street/)
Phillipine Airline Workers Back Oakland General Strike Call of Occupy Oakland (http://www.occupyoakland.org/2011/10/phillipine-airline-workers-back-oakland-general-strike-call-of-occupy-oakland/)
Berkeley Federation of Teachers Calls On Teachers to participate in the Wednesday, November 2nd Day of Action (http://www.occupyoakland.org/2011/10/berkeley-federation-of-teachers-calls-on-teachers-to-participate-in-the-wednesday-november-2nd-day-of-action/)
Oakland Teachers Union OEA Executive Board endorsed Occupy Oakland’s November 2 “General Strike/Mass Day of Action” (http://www.occupyoakland.org/2011/10/oakland-teachers-union-oea-executive-board-endorsed-occupy-oaklands-november-2-general-strikemass-day-of-action/)
Carpenters Local 713 endorses General Strike (http://www.occupyoakland.org/2011/10/carpenters-local-713-endorses-general-strike/)

[RedZero]

"The Word Is In The Street!" - http://twitpic.com/796tii

[RED DAVE]

Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 2, 2011, may well be a historic day in the struggle for socialism in America. If this general strike comes off, its effects will be national. It will concretize a real relationship between OWS and the working class.

RED DAVE

[Lenina Rosenweg]

This could be very significant.Its likely though there will be a corporate media blackout or an attempt to minimize the struggle. Will this be a problem?

[RED DAVE]

This could be very significant.Significant. THIS MIGHT BE THE FIRST GENERAL STRIKE IN THE USA SINCE THE ONE IN OAKLAND IN 1946!

Does anyone get this?


Its likely though there will be a corporate media blackout or an attempt to minimize the struggle. Will this be a problem?Of course it's a problem, but nothing like what it might have been. First off, OWS, including Oakland, has been getting a fair amount of coverage (that "fair" as "goodly," not "fair" as "just"). Secondly, the OWS has its own communication network which guarantees that a press blackout can't be total.

RED DAVE

[Dunk]

The mainstream is going to minimize whatever happens, or spin it into a sob story about how the strike has hurt "small business." So when you read about it on mainstream sites, remember that you're consuming the capitalist press. What's more important than anything else is the atmosphere and mood of Oaklanders - will they be energized by it? Will they feel it is a success? Will they feel empowered? Will they share a strengthened sense of solidarity with one another? This will be the measure of success, and not the inevitable attempt at downscale the mainstream will do. Emotions or consciousness like this may be immaterial, but their emergence reflect real connections being formed across what were once seemingly disparate groups.

[RED DAVE]

The most important thing, first of all, is: WILL IT COME OFF?

RED DAVE

[Lenina Rosenweg]

Okay, point taken. I was thinking of ILWU strikes which shut down the West Coast of the US and Canada which activists I know on the East Coast never even heard of until I told them about it. This isn't actually a general strike, that is the working class using its power to shut down a city, but rather locals and some employers winking and nodding, "why you don't you take some of that sick time you have accrued, listen to some bands play, chant some slogans, let off some steam". There have been so many instances of near total media blackouts and huge class uprisings which people in the US didn't even know about. In 2005 (I believe) a million people protested in Mexico City for the release of that city's leftist mayor. A significant story but there was a near total media blackout. The NY Times only mentioned it, sneeringly in their Op Ed page a few days later.The anti-cuts demo in London months ago received a media black out on the TV news, except for Diane Sawyer's brief spot on "anarchist disturbances" on ABC News .There are many other stories like this.

Obviously its becoming increasingly easy to bypass the corporate media, which is rapidly losing influence. The leftist sites and blogs will do their job and publicize this. Despite this a huge number of people still get their news from NPR or the corporate TV networks.

I hope this succeeds and becomes very big. I've been following the nation wide Occupy movement the way some people follow football or baseball or NBA basketball. This is very very exciting.

[Ocean Seal]

The mainstream is going to minimize whatever happens, or spin it into a sob story about how the strike has hurt "small business." So when you read about it on mainstream sites, remember that you're consuming the capitalist press. What's more important than anything else is the atmosphere and mood of Oaklanders - will they be energized by it? Will they feel it is a success? Will they feel empowered? Will they share a strengthened sense of solidarity with one another? This will be the measure of success, and not the inevitable attempt at downscale the mainstream will do. Emotions or consciousness like this may be immaterial, but their emergence reflect real connections being formed across what were once seemingly disparate groups.
More importantly will the truth get out, despite what everyone reads in the mainstream press. Will people all over the occupy movement be knowledgeable of the success in Oakland.

[RED DAVE]

Okay, point taken. I was thinking of ILWU strikes which shut down the West Coast of the US and Canada which activists I know on the East Coast never even heard of until I told them about it. This isn't actually a general strike, that is the working class using its power to shut down a city, but rather locals and some employers winking and nodding, "why you don't you take some of that sick time you have accrued, listen to some bands play, chant some slogans, let off some steam".Maybe I'm wrong, but I think it's a lot more than that. The ILWU is involved. It began over the issue of the brother (can't remember his name) who was almost killed by a teargas cannister. The OWS Labor/Outreach meeting on Friday was addressed by a retired member of the ILWU.

The point is that OWS is becoming a kind of lens through which the class struggle is being focused. This trend is not clear, nor is it powerful, but it is happening, in New York and in Oakland. Why else would OWS be the rallying point for union after union in their marches. Why are they marching at all?


There have been so many instances of near total media blackouts and huge class uprisings which people in the US didn't even know about. In 2005 (I believe) a million people protested in Mexico City for the release of that city's leftist mayor. A significant story but there was a near total media blackout. The NY Times only mentioned it, sneeringly in their Op Ed page a few days later.The anti-cuts demo in London months ago received a media black out on the TV news, except for Diane Sawyer's brief spot on "anarchist disturbances" on ABC News .There are many other stories like this.

Obviously its becoming increasingly easy to bypass the corporate media, which is rapidly losing influence. The leftist sites and blogs will do their job and publicize this. Despite this a huge number of people still get their news from NPR or the corporate TV networks.

I hope this succeeds and becomes very big. I've been following the nation wide Occupy movement the way some people follow football or baseball or NBA basketball. This is very very exciting.It sure as shit is!

RED DAVE

[Ele'ill]

I will be unable to strike with Oakland without losing my job and getting another worker fired. Agreed to cover a shift so they could deal with some fairly serious personal life stuff before the general strike was called for. It was a day off beforehand too. Oh so does this make me a bad leftist or a good one?

[Welshy]

According to OPD, all members of the police force are being told to come to work (even those who have a day off that day) tomorrow by the Oakland city govt. Sounds like city is preparing for possible crack down on the strikers.

[Os Cangaceiros]

I will be unable to strike with Oakland without losing my job and getting another worker fired. Agreed to cover a shift so they could deal with some fairly serious personal life stuff before the general strike was called for. It was a day off beforehand too. Oh so does this make me a bad leftist or a good one?

You're a terrible leftist! :crying:


According to OPD, all members of the police force are being told to come to work (even those who have a day off that day) tomorrow by the Oakland city govt. Sounds like city is preparing for possible crack down on the strikers.

I wouldn't put it past them, all these monkeys understand is force. Plus the police are vindictive as hell. It wouldn't be a good idea, however, to attack strikers tomorrow. Not at all.

[S.Artesian]

I will be unable to strike with Oakland without losing my job and getting another worker fired. Agreed to cover a shift so they could deal with some fairly serious personal life stuff before the general strike was called for. It was a day off beforehand too. Oh so does this make me a bad leftist or a good one?


If there were a workers' committee operating in your area, that committee would authorize you to go to work.

[agnixie]

According to OPD, all members of the police force are being told to come to work (even those who have a day off that day) tomorrow by the Oakland city govt. Sounds like city is preparing for possible crack down on the strikers.

I guess it's time to remind them what we call that sort of people then.


I will be unable to strike with Oakland without losing my job and getting another worker fired. Agreed to cover a shift so they could deal with some fairly serious personal life stuff before the general strike was called for. It was a day off beforehand too. Oh so does this make me a bad leftist or a good one?

I can understand the issue, wish it was otherwise, wish you could have the support require to organize your own workplace out of it, too (would it be an option?)

[Os Cangaceiros]

re: media's possible reporting of possible strike

I think I've had a revelation on this issue, insofar as how it may be portrayed. This is from the Oakland police association:



Meanwhile, a message has been sent to all police officers: Everyone, including those who have the day off, must show up for work on Wednesday. This is also being paid for by Oakland taxpayers. Last week’s events alone cost Oakland taxpayers over $1 million.

The Mayor and her Administration are beefing up police presence for Wednesday’s work strike they are encouraging and even “staffing,” spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars for additional police presence – at a time when the Mayor is also asking Oakland residents to vote on an $80 parcel tax to bail out the City’s failing finances.

Won't you think of the taxpayers?! :(

[the last donut of the night]

solidarity from brasil dudes. let's hope tomorrow goes well

[A Marxist Historian]

I will be unable to strike with Oakland without losing my job and getting another worker fired. Agreed to cover a shift so they could deal with some fairly serious personal life stuff before the general strike was called for. It was a day off beforehand too. Oh so does this make me a bad leftist or a good one?

No.

-M.H.-

[A Marxist Historian]

I will be unable to strike with Oakland without losing my job and getting another worker fired. Agreed to cover a shift so they could deal with some fairly serious personal life stuff before the general strike was called for. It was a day off beforehand too. Oh so does this make me a bad leftist or a good one?

Well, I should respon a bit less enigmatically I guess.

This is not a general strike as such with picket lines set up by unions and the whole city shut down tight. So it is a personal decision, not fraught with meaning as to who you are.

The basic labor movement principle is very simple. Picket lines mean don't cross.

So, unless there is a picket line outside your workplace, which I assume is extremely unlikely, it's not a problematic issue.

OTOH, if there is in fact an OWS picket line in front of your workplace, very unlikely but not totally inconceivable, then you should be able to avoid both you and your fellow worker getting in trouble. You can just claim you were afraid of being beaten up by the mean anarchistic OWS bullies.

And sneak off and join the rallies on the opposite side of town.

-M.H.-

[Rusty Shackleford]

I will be unable to strike with Oakland without losing my job and getting another worker fired. Agreed to cover a shift so they could deal with some fairly serious personal life stuff before the general strike was called for. It was a day off beforehand too. Oh so does this make me a bad leftist or a good one?


The struggle is nowhere near the point at which a revolutionary is expected to give up everything else to go out and fight. Go to work. Don't feel bad.

[RedZero]

Grand Lake Theater will be closed Wed. Nov. 2 in support of the General Strike -> http://twitpic.com/79n5d1

[Le Socialiste]

Wish I lived in the area already, I'd be going. :(

Best of luck to those turning out tomorrow. My thoughts will be with you guys.

[RedZero]

UCSF Nursing Students Join Oakland General Strike - http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/01/18696608.php


by UCSF Nursing Students Supporting Strike
Tuesday Nov 1st, 2011 8:23 PM

On Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011, we UCSF nurses & nurse practitioner students will not be quietly studying. We will be at the General Strike in Oakland! We saw last Tuesday that protesters are always at risk of injury due to police brutality. We will act as street medics & tend to acute health needs that may arise during the strike and we will demonstrate our concern for our patients, who are rapidly losing access to healthcare, employment and higher education as a result of UC-wide, statewide and nationwide austerity measures. We will demonstrate as current and future healthcare providers for the 99% and as indebted UC students ourselves. Join us!Join us in the Oakland General Strike November 2nd, fellow students & nurses! If you want to meet us on the Parnassus campus, we will gather from 3 to 3:15pm in front of the Medical Sciences Building, 513 Parnassus Ave on Wednesday. Look for red crosses on arms made of duct tape. We will Muni and BART together to 12th St. Oakland to be part of--& serve as street medics for--the 5pm march to shut down the Port of Oakland. If you have supplies (hand sanitizer, gloves, TB masks, Maalox, bottled water, gauze, Band-Aids, goggles, etc.), please bring them. We will provide an overview of protest first aid guidelines while we ride there together.

[Jimmie Higgins]

Okay, point taken. I was thinking of ILWU strikes which shut down the West Coast of the US and Canada which activists I know on the East Coast never even heard of until I told them about it. This isn't actually a general strike, that is the working class using its power to shut down a city, but rather locals and some employers winking and nodding, "why you don't you take some of that sick time you have accrued, listen to some bands play, chant some slogans, let off some steam". There have been so many instances of near total media blackouts and huge class uprisings which people in the US didn't even know about. In 2005 (I believe) a million people protested in Mexico City for the release of that city's leftist mayor. A significant story but there was a near total media blackout. The NY Times only mentioned it, sneeringly in their Op Ed page a few days later.The anti-cuts demo in London months ago received a media black out on the TV news, except for Diane Sawyer's brief spot on "anarchist disturbances" on ABC News .There are many other stories like this.

Obviously its becoming increasingly easy to bypass the corporate media, which is rapidly losing influence. The leftist sites and blogs will do their job and publicize this. Despite this a huge number of people still get their news from NPR or the corporate TV networks.

I hope this succeeds and becomes very big. I've been following the nation wide Occupy movement the way some people follow football or baseball or NBA basketball. This is very very exciting.

I don't think we should expect to see something that looks like General Strikes at the height of class consciousness and struggle - this will be to General Strikes of the 1930s what a baby's first stumbling steps are to running. It's been 60 years and so the working class's muscles are pretty weak and uncoordinated. But I think this will probably be the biggest thing Oakland has seen in a generation - maybe even the Bay Area (though probably not as large in numbers as some of the big antiwar and immigrant rights marches).

The media can not black this out - at least not in the bay area. There is actually open disputes and sniping between City Hall and the Police right now and seeping splits among the city's establishment. That is a HUGE opportunity for us and means that their attempts to spread mis-information and spin the protest will not be as effective as when the establishment is confident about their plans.

They don't know how to handle shit right now and that's what happens when people stop being the subjects of events and history but begin (even in this modest way) to make their own history. We have them on their heels and it won't always be this way for this movement or the class struggle in general, but when they open a door a crack we gotta try and wedge our foot in there. I'll be there all day tomorrow, Mari3L, having to work doesn't mean you are a bad leftist at all, it just means you will probably be doubly excited not to miss out on the next general strike in San Francisco or Seattle or Los Angeles :)

By the way, I've been brushing up on my analogies in preparation for the general strike, can you tell from the text above?

[thefinalmarch]

Significant. THIS MIGHT BE THE FIRST GENERAL STRIKE IN THE USA SINCE THE ONE IN OAKLAND IN 1946!
“There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.” - Lenin

this couldn't be any truer right now

[Rainsborough]

Good luck comrades. Lets hope the workers in Britain get some inspiration, although I doubt the media will cover it.

[Dunk]

Any news or sources people can point me toward?

[RED DAVE]

No info yet on any mainstream media. Just back-up stories.

RED DAVE

[S.Artesian]

Good luck comrades. Lets hope the workers in Britain get some inspiration, although I doubt the media will cover it.

Think the media in Europe and Asia will pick up on it, in tandem with the accelerating crisis re Greece.

AP running this story (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OCCUPY_MARCHES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-11-02-11-11-29) in the US.

[The Douche]

Goddamnit, I left my phone at a friends house last night, so I can't get updates from my friend who lives in Oakland (and is participating in the strike).

[Rainsborough]

Its probably been posted before, but what the hell.

http://www.occupyoakland.org/

Another link I've been given.

http://www.bamn.com/

[RED DAVE]

No real info here.


Crowds gather, businesses shutter for Occupy Oakland general strike



http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site571/2011/1102/20111102__occupywednesday%7E4_VIEWER.JPG (http://www.revleft.com/portlet/article/html/render_gallery.jsp?articleId=19246904&siteId=568&startImage=1)


Morning in downtown Oakland, before Occupy Oakland's planned general strike on Tuesday November...


http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site571/2011/1102/20111102__occupywednesday%7E4_VIEWER.JPGhttp://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site571/2011/1102/20111102__occupywednesday%7E3_VIEWER.JPGhttp://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site571/2011/1102/20111102__occupywednesday%7E2_VIEWER.JPGhttp://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site571/2011/1102/20111102__occupywednesday%7E1_VIEWER.JPG

OAKLAND -- Several businesses, including the Men's Wearhouse and the Grand Lake Theater closed their doors Wednesday in support of today's planned General Strike as thousands of people are expected to join the Occupy Oakland movement to protest the inequality of wealth and power.
The UC office of the President is also closed today over concerns that BART might be shut down at some point and more than 1,000 people who work in the building wouldn't be able to get to or from work.

The Occupy Oakland camp got the rally going before 8:30 a.m., putting together signs and pumping music from speakers outfitted to a truck that will serve as a rolling platform. The first scheduled mass-gathering takes place at Frank Ogawa Plaza at 9 a.m. followed by a march on financial institutions.

Carey Dall, 35, a dockworker with the ILWU, was among the first to arrive at Frank Ogawa Plaza, which the Occupy camp has renamed Oscar Grant Plaza. He was standing next to a pile of about 100 signs "Stand with the 99 percent" ready to be distributed.

The strike is an important symbolic gesture, he said.

"Economic impact is how you make change," Dall said. "It's going to take sustained activity like this if we are going to see changes in this country."
The Men's Wearhouse in the Rotunda Building posted a sign in the window saying "We stand with the 99%. Closed Wednesday, Nov. 2." The venerable Grand Lake Theater, never one to shy away from political cause, also shut down today, with its marquee saying "We proudly support the Occupy Wall Street movement, closed Wednesday in support of the strike." Peter King, spokesman for the UC Office of the President in downtown Oakland said the office is closed and employees working from home today. He said that most of the 1,300 employees who work in the building take public transit and BART may not be reliable given the masses of people expected to take part in the strike downtown.

Today's planned strike will be the first of its kind since in Oakland since 1946, and it could potentially turn out to be the biggest demonstration in the East Bay since the Vietnam War.

The demonstration aims to shut down the city by targeting banks, corporations and the Port of Oakland in solidarity with worldwide Occupy movement that decries the economic wealth of the very rich 1 percent while 99 percent of the population struggles to find jobs and pay the bills.
And there is an Oakland twist to today's action, with a call to "end police attacks on our communities and defend Oakland schools and libraries (against budget cuts)."

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan issued a statement Tuesday saying she hopes the general strike is peaceful and puts the issues of the 99 percent front and center.

"I am working with the police chief to make sure that the pro-99 percent activists -- whose cause I support -- will have the freedom to get their message across without the conflict that marred last week's events," Quan said.

Police fired tear gas, bean bag round and other nonlethal projectiles into a crowd of hundreds of protesters after orders to clear the intersection of 14th and Broadway. Several people were hit, and former Marine Scott Olsen was struck in the head and suffered a skull fracture.

Lark Omura, a UC Berkeley student who was camped out at Occupy Oakland Tuesday night said the vast majority of people who are coming Wednesday are nonviolent, but acknowledged there are elements that will agitate.

"People can police each other's behavior. There is no official position (within Occupy Oakland on violence)" "We don't want (the general strike) to turn into anarchy,'' she said.

Organizers are urging residents to stay home from jobs and keep children home from school, although they invited everyone to participate even if they could not stay all day.

Mass gatherings at Frank Ogawa were scheduled for 9 a.m., followed by another assembly at the Plaza at noon, and again at 5 p.m., which will be followed a two-mile march to the Port of Oakland. The staggered times of demonstrations are designed to make sure everyone who wishes has a chance to participate even if they cannot take the entire day off work.
Several labor unions are urging their members to join the day of action. Hundreds of Oakland's public school teachers plan to take part and the California Nurses Association, or CNA, is encouraging its members to participate in the events downtown, which will include rallies, a cook-off, speakers and marches on banks.

"Nurses are part of the 99 percent. We see the health impacts of job loss, home foreclosures, and poor nutrition related to the economic crisis," said Martha Kuhl, an Oakland nurse. "Nurses care for patients experiencing who delay or forego needed medical care because of the cost, and see more stress-related disease, inability to afford medications, and rising numbers of the uninsured,"

The city will stay open, and it has urged downtown businesses to stay open as well.

Merchants in Chinatown on Tuesday were planning for the safety and livelihood of their shops, their employees and their customers, said Oakland Chinatown Chamber board member Carl Chan, who said he worries that the strike is an "opportunity to take over and cause trouble."

"Our message is pretty strong: we will be open for business, and we have to live on. We may support the cause, but we cannot afford to be counterproductive," Chan said. "We hope the Occupy Oakland movement will not become the Destroy Oakland movement."

City employees who plan to take the day off must clear it with their supervisor and take some form of furlough leave other than sick time.[/URL][url]http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_19246904 (http://twitter.com/csburt)

RED DAVE

[Welshy]

According to twitter the Oakland port is shut down.

[Rusty Shackleford]

According to twitter the Oakland port is shut down.
that is AWESOME!

[RED DAVE]

Sorry this comes from Huffpost, but here are some updates:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/02/occupy-oakland-general-strike_n_1071523.html

RED DAVE

[Dunk]

According to twitter the Oakland port is shut down.

Can you share some of the Twitter users or specific tweets, please? Thank you.

[Dunk]

http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_19247017

Some pictures and updates on events so far.

[thriller]

Times like these make me wish I still lived in Santa Cruz. Then again, wouldn't have been able to be a part of the Madison protests in the spring. Haha, it's like no matter where I go, revolution is in the air :D

[RedZero]

Men's Wearhouse store window, closed down for the General Strike -> http://twitpic.com/79ljbj

[Ele'ill]

I was joking and expressing my upsettness at having to cover that shift. You would think that one day out of the month (actually its been several) I'd be able to have off for such an event and it just irritates me I of course will be marching later because I am not THAT bad of a leftist.

[Ele'ill]

lol

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/02/18696666.php

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/02/18696718.php

[Welshy]

Can you share some of the Twitter users or specific tweets, please? Thank you.

No problem


@occupyoakland
Occupy Oakland

Wildcat longshoremen strike activity during the early shift has closed the Port of Oakland! #generalstrike #occupyoakland #oo

[Ele'ill]

Indybay list of events- sounds pretty neat

2PM Oakland General Strike Anti-Capitalist March
4:30PM feminists and queers against capitalism bloc in Oakland

[The Vegan Marxist]

‎"There are no ships being worked in the Port Of Oakland today!!! The Rank-And-File of the ILWU have organized themselves and stayed away from work today. The port effectively shut down for the day shift. We will still march and shut down the night shift." - Boots Riley

[Welshy]

http://twitpic.com/79yw02

This made me smile

[Rainsborough]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/02/occuply-oakland-general-strike-live

[Zukunftsmusik]

Why does Oakland seem so much more radical than all the other occupy-actions? This seems - to me, who lives far away from the states - perhaps even more radical than the Wisconsin protests earlier this year. How? Why?

[The Douche]

Why does Oakland seem so much more radical than all the other occupy-actions? This seems - to me, who lives far away from the states - perhaps even more radical than the Wisconsin protests earlier this year. How? Why?

Because there has been massive amounts of work done by radicals of various organizations in Oakland for the past couple of years, especially surrounding the Oscar Grant shit. And because the bay area is generally a hotbed of US radicalism.

[Decolonize The Left]

Why does Oakland seem so much more radical than all the other occupy-actions? This seems - to me, who lives far away from the states - perhaps even more radical than the Wisconsin protests earlier this year. How? Why?

A combination of conditions and history.

Oakland has had its fair share of radicalizing events in the past couple years. It's also an economically depressed and neglected area of the bay area and has a long history of activism.

- August

[Welshy]

So OccupyOakland's twitter says the Anti-Capitalist March was thousands strong, can anyone back this up?

[Tifosi]

http://s1-02.twitpicproxy.com/photos/large/440054268.jpg

[R_P_A_S]

Meanwhile the Wall Street Journal plays down the strike and mocks us.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203716204577014251401786614.html?m od=googlenews_wsj

[S.Artesian]

That's what they are paid to do. It's a Murdoch rag. Hell, they're all Murdoch rags.

[RedZero]

A few Twitter accounts worth checking out for Oakland strike updates:


https://twitter.com/#!/KQEDnews (https://twitter.com/#%21/KQEDnews)
https://twitter.com/#!/USGeneralStrike (https://twitter.com/#%21/USGeneralStrike)
https://twitter.com/#!/kqednewslive (https://twitter.com/#%21/kqednewslive)


Or just follow the hashtag #GeneralStrike to see what everyone is saying:


https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23generalstrike (https://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23generalstrike)

[RedZero]

[/URL]KQED News Live:



#GeneralStrike (https://twitter.com/#%21/KQEDNewsLive) briefing: Interim #Oakland (https://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23Oakland) police chief: 3,000 protesters marching to Port.

15 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/#%21/KQEDNewsLive/status/131887316686999553)

[URL="https://twitter.com/#"]

[RedZero]

"standing on the trucks and loving life at the port" -> https://p.twimg.com/AdSNaORCQAAtAOK.jpg

[S.Artesian]

Beautiful picture. Clip and save.

[Lenina Rosenweg]

Except for the guy with the binoculars, that is an iconic photo.Would be great for a poster.

[RedZero]

http://s1-02.twitpicproxy.com/photos/large/440054268.jpg

Another view:


http://biggovernment.com/files/2011/11/DSCN0522-1024x768.jpg

[agnixie]

Numbers we got were almost 10,000.

Also this
http://p.twimg.com/AdSNaORCQAAtAOK.jpg

is one of the most beautiful things I've seen in this country.

[Dunk]

Except for the guy with the binoculars, that is an iconic photo.Would be great for a poster.

I disagree. Someone looking ahead is something that captures the struggle just as much as a worker standing atop some conquered capital with a raised fist. :)

[agnixie]

I disagree. Someone looking ahead is something that captures the struggle just as much as a worker standing atop some conquered capital with a raised fist. :)

Damnit, will teach me to not read the entire page... That was the same pic as in the link xD

Still beautiful.

[Lenina Rosenweg]

Could someone who is proficient with Photoshop do something with this? Perhaps add in "General Strike, Coming To A City Near You".

Keep the binoculars guy.

Also, is that a red flag atop the cargo container in the background?

[RedZero]

Wow: "Raw Footage of Oakland's March to the Port" -- http://www.ktvu.com/videos/news/raw-video-newschopper-2-footage-of-huge-crowd/vD4mx/

[RedZero]

Picture of the Oakland protesters outside a Chase bank -- http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/299247_2650421700236_1246549653_33266216_514672958 _n.jpg

[PC LOAD LETTER]

Could someone who is proficient with Photoshop do something with this? Perhaps add in "General Strike, Coming To A City Near You".

Keep the binoculars guy.

Also, is that a red flag atop the cargo container in the background?
How's this? It's a 30-second GIMP job, so it's no masterpiece, but it works.

http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/8230/occupyoaklandgeneralstr.jpg

[Tablo]

People on youtube are complaining about the graffiti and black bloc smashing windows saying they are all police provocateurs and have nothing to do with the OWS movement. When will they learn?

[ellipsis]

Just got back.

50,000+ people blocking the port of oakland, it was amazing.

[ellipsis]

Another view:


http://biggovernment.com/files/2011/11/DSCN0522-1024x768.jpg

Haha that was a whole foods, which told its employees they would be fired if they are went on strike today.


People on youtube are complaining about the graffiti and black bloc smashing windows saying they are all police provocateurs and have nothing to do with the OWS movement. When will they learn?

God damn peace police!!! The black bloc was the biggest ive ever seen and the banks got fucked up. the peace police we attempting to clean up the graffiti as the march was happen, one told me that violence against property is the same as bombing civilians...

[Tablo]

God damn peace police!!! The black bloc was the biggest ive ever seen and the banks got fucked up. the peace police we attempting to clean up the graffiti as the march was happen, one told me that violence against property is the same as bombing civilians...
Ugh, I fucking hate people like that. I wish they understood... :(

Anyway, I was very happy seeing how large this was.

[ellipsis]

Threads from upcoming events and ongoing struggles merged.

[craigd89]

Ugh, I fucking hate people like that. I wish they understood... :(

Anyway, I was very happy seeing how large this was.
the black bloc is stupid and counter productive

[PC LOAD LETTER]

the black bloc is stupid and counter productive
*squints*

I think you'll find yourself quite alone on this position here

[A Marxist Historian]

Why does Oakland seem so much more radical than all the other occupy-actions? This seems - to me, who lives far away from the states - perhaps even more radical than the Wisconsin protests earlier this year. How? Why?

Oakland is Pantherland. And ILWU land. Put them together, you have a powerful cocktail.

-M.H.-

[A Marxist Historian]

That's what they are paid to do. It's a Murdoch rag. Hell, they're all Murdoch rags.

Murdoch is an improvement with the WSJ. It is *the* voice of Wall Street, always has been, right there in the name.

Exactly who OWS is protesting against.

If the WSJ ever says good things about you, worry.

-M.H.-

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

I've heard that Oakland's mayor (Quan) was formally a member of the old Communist Workers Party (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Workers%27_Party_%28United_States%29). Can anyone confirm?

The only thing concrete I've been able to find online is that she got her start with Asian Americans for Equality, which shared an office with the CWP.

[agnixie]

the black bloc is stupid and counter productive

See this is one of these occasions where it actually has a point. Nobody's going to shed a tear for the banks. Besides if their pr teams are as prepared as the NYC one is, it's going to be child's play to minimize the notion that this is violence (which it isn't). Also I can see the point in being a dove, but at least they could learn some fucking solidarity instead of threatening to snitch.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Anyone have a good statistical rundown of the day's events?

Two statistics I've seen so far are that about 360 teachers didn't show up for work on the day of the strike (out of approx. 2,000 total), and 40 longshoreman didn't show up for work (out of about 300 total, IIRC). Combine that with a march that (according to OO) was tens of thousands strong, and culminated in the port of Oakland being shut down, and I'd say it was a fairly successful event, considering the time frame it was organized in and such. Not the epic, earth-shattering general strike that we all picture in our heads when we hear the term, but baby steps are what's needed at the present juncture.

[Rainsborough]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15568057

Looking good.


One large protest banner read: "Occupy Everything, death to capitalism." :)

Sorry if any of these links are duplicates.

RT live updates of the Oakland general strike (http://rt.com/news/occupy-oakland-live-updates-411/)

Several Banks closed during Oakland General Strike (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/occupy-oakland-several-banks-close-their-doors-as-protesters-march.html)

Oakland Transit blocked by Oakland protesters (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/02/BA8Q1LPJES.DTL)

General Strike 'childrens brigade' (http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_19248686)

Chicago students to walk out in solidarity with Oakland General Strike (http://progressillinois.com/news/content/2011/11/02/chicago-college-students-walk-out-march-solidarity-occupy-oakland)

[ellipsis]

I'll post personal pics when I have more time.

I even have one of the peace police cleaning off the bank.:D

[Ele'ill]

Huge march in Portland! Pushed through police lines- marched wherever we wanted- all over down town- over two bridges (Hawthorne and then Burnside back into the city) - straight into oncoming traffic on Grand Ave where people willingly pulled over. Had a bicycle cop tire waved in my face. It was a good night- and it was raining.

Edit- Perhaps I'm an optimist but I see a shift occuring. At the GA after the march there was an emergency proposal to make our camp cop free in solidarity with Oakland. It was tabled because it was split down the middle in regards to support. However- the questioning of the idea wasn't that 'police are part of the 99%' but because of tactical/logistical/support issues. That's an interesting turn of events. During this proposal someone was tackled and arrested by the police about 50ft away. Everyone stormed over to the jail- the riot police came out- the police said the guy who was arrested tried to push a police officer in front of a bus. Bullshit.

[Lenina Rosenweg]

http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_19246904

Some interesting pics. The one at 43 is iconic.

[Ele'ill]

I'm going to post some pictures from Portland's solidarity march here rather than creating its own thread - we'll see if this works

http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2011/11/10215458-standard.jpg

http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2011/11/10215456-standard.jpg

http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2011/11/10215453-standard.jpg

Hawthorne Bridge- on it

http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2011/11/10215408-standard.jpg

[RedZero]

A lot of you liked the picture from yesterday of the people on tractor trailers, here's an even better one (in my opinion):

http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/ows110311/s_o01_02076879.jpg

[RedZero]

More great pictures here --> "Occupy Wall Street, 7 Weeks In" - http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/11/occupy-wall-street-7-weeks-in/100183/

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

At the GA after the march there was an emergency proposal to make our camp cop free in solidarity with Oakland. It was tabled because it was split down the middle in regards to support. However- the questioning of the idea wasn't that 'police are part of the 99%' but because of tactical/logistical/support issues. That's an interesting turn of events.

The ILWU Local 10 statement in support of the march on the port mentioned the history of the police in the area as the reason why they don't let cops in their union:

"...Demonstrators in downtown Oakland protesting the bank-driven economic crisis were brutally attacked by police from 18 Bay Area agencies on Tuesday Oct. 25. Mayor Quan, who was supported by ILWU Local 10 in the recent elections, ordered this bloody assault. Cops used potentially lethal weapons to break up the occupation of Frank Ogawa (now renamed Oscar Grant) Plaza just as they did in the port against anti-war protesters in 2003. That police attack was even criticized by the UN Human Rights Commission and ended up costing Oakland over $2 million in civil suits.

"Then-Local 10 longshoreman Billy Kepo’o was hit in the hand by a police tear gas canister causing a bloody mess. Now, Iraqi war vet, Scott Olsen, was hit in the head with a police projectile, causing a fracture and putting him in critical condition in Highland Hospital. This is exactly what killed one of the strikers in Seattle in the Big Strike of 1934. That history of police violence against strikers is why our Local 10 Constitution bans cops from membership in our union...."

[Fawkes]

Even if the leaders kinda suck, the ILWU knows what the fuck is up

[A Marxist Historian]

The ILWU Local 10 statement in support of the march on the port mentioned the history of the police in the area as the reason why they don't let cops in their union:

"...Demonstrators in downtown Oakland protesting the bank-driven economic crisis were brutally attacked by police from 18 Bay Area agencies on Tuesday Oct. 25. Mayor Quan, who was supported by ILWU Local 10 in the recent elections, ordered this bloody assault. Cops used potentially lethal weapons to break up the occupation of Frank Ogawa (now renamed Oscar Grant) Plaza just as they did in the port against anti-war protesters in 2003. That police attack was even criticized by the UN Human Rights Commission and ended up costing Oakland over $2 million in civil suits.

"Then-Local 10 longshoreman Billy Kepo’o was hit in the hand by a police tear gas canister causing a bloody mess. Now, Iraqi war vet, Scott Olsen, was hit in the head with a police projectile, causing a fracture and putting him in critical condition in Highland Hospital. This is exactly what killed one of the strikers in Seattle in the Big Strike of 1934. That history of police violence against strikers is why our Local 10 Constitution bans cops from membership in our union...."

This is true, but what is left out is that they *do* let port security guards in the union, there's even a special local for them.

-M.H.-

[ellipsis]

A security guard drew his pepper spray on one protester for banging on the side of a wells fargo...

Also I didn't see a single cop at OG plaza or the port until we left and they had cops stationed to protect the interstate on ramp. No cops + anti-capitalist march=smashy smashy.

[CAleftist]

Heads up on Boston:


Mayor Thomas Menino says he wouldn't put up with anything like what is happening in Oakland. He tells Fox25's Sharman Sacchetti, "no question" there would be arrests for lighting fires in the street or shutting down a shipping port.


"When they question public safety, they want to shut down the economy, the city down. I support many of their issues but you can't affect our public safety....I'm not going to have people losing a day's pay" said the Mayor.


Read more: http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/local/mayor-menino-on-occupy-boston-20111103#ixzz1chFfRqCs

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

Of course, all of these scum bags are clear about what side they're on the minute shit gets real and goes outside of "acceptable politics." So the Democrats pose as "friends of labor" at every rally and election cycle, then send in cops to bust up any strikes that occur while they're in office. Oakland's Democratic ex-radical mayor is all for the Occupy actions there when she thinks they'll bring support for her party, but sends the goon squad in a few days later to brutally disperse them.

[praxis1966]

No cops + anti-capitalist march=smashy smashy.

There actually were cops at that march, but they were "undercover." I happen to have photos of them, lolololol.

Anyway, I'm really sick to death of the politics of liberals. Break a window and cost Chase a couple of hundred bucks and you're a violent lunatic. Blockade the Port of Oakland and cost capitalists millions and you're a hero... Is it just me or does this seem logically inconsistent to anybody else?

[S.Artesian]

There actually were cops at that march, but they were "undercover." I happen to have photos of them, lolololol.

Anyway, I'm really sick to death of the politics of liberals. Break a window and cost Chase a couple of hundred bucks and you're a violent lunatic. Blockade the Port of Oakland and cost capitalists millions and you're a hero... Is it just me or does this seem logically inconsistent to anybody else?

It might be just you. Think about it. Break a window and cost Chase a hundred bucks; blockade the port of Oakland with the workers respecting the picket lines. Which do you think represents a threat to capitalism and a tactic that can lead to its overthrow?

[praxis1966]

It might be just you. Think about it. Break a window and cost Chase a hundred bucks; blockade the port of Oakland with the workers respecting the picket lines. Which do you think represents a threat to capitalism and a tactic that can lead to its overthrow?

I hear what you're saying, but that's not the point I was trying to make. I was basically just expressing frustration. Anyway, I think the real question now is whether or not the same scenario (and by that I mean more or less completely shutting down entire major cities) can play out elsewhere. Following that, will this lead to the kind of reformism we saw after the New Left petered out or something greater?

[S.Artesian]

I hear what you're saying, but that's not the point I was trying to make. I was basically just expressing frustration. Anyway, I think the real question now is whether or not the same scenario (and by that I mean more or less completely shutting down entire major cities) can play out elsewhere. Following that, will this lead to the kind of reformism we saw after the New Left petered out or something greater?


Well, your frustration at liberal breast-beating is OK, but you picked a poor contrast of actions to make the point.

As for the part in bold: 1) who knows? 2) after the New Left "petered out" we didn't get reformism, we go reaction and the grand [and sustained] assault on previous reforms, on the living standards of the working class.

[praxis1966]

As for the part in bold: 1) who knows? 2) after the New Left "petered out" we didn't get reformism, we go reaction and the grand [and sustained] assault on previous reforms, on the living standards of the working class.

What I meant when referencing reformism was that I personally know an awful lot of former New Left activists who either wound up in SPUSA, Peace and Freedom, or the Democratic Party. Basically, they turned in their marching boots in exchange for the ballot box which is why we got the reaction you're talking about. Anyway, I think you and I are basically on the same page if it means anything to you...

[KurtFF8]

Oh dear:


Developer with shotgun scared off Oakland rioters (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/04/MNCM1LQ5FU.DTL)



OAKLAND -- Oakland developer Phil Tagami is used to working behind the scenes to broker some of the biggest deals in town. Late Wednesday, he was using different persuasive skills - holding a loaded shotgun to scare away rioters trying to get into a downtown building.
"We had people who attempted to break into our building," the landmark Rotunda Building on Frank Ogawa Plaza outside City Hall, Tagami said Thursday. He grabbed a shotgun that he usually keeps at home, went down to the ground floor and "discouraged them," he said.
"I was standing there and they saw me there, and I lifted it - I didn't point it - I just held it in my hands," Tagami said. "And I just racked it, and they ran."
Although they didn't get inside the building - Tagami, 46, oversaw its $50 million renovation and has an office there - vandals did scrawl graffiti on the outside walls during the post-midnight riot that broke out after Occupy Oakland's daylong general strike.
The Rotunda Building was far from the only target. Graffiti was spray-painted on many buildings along Broadway from 14th to 16th streets. Masked vandals shattered windows, started fires and threw objects at police, including lit flares and powerful M-1000 firecrackers.
Officers responded by firing tear gas and flash-bang grenades and arresting 103 people, including those from as far away as Michigan and New York. Five civilians and three police officers were hurt.
As the sun rose, downtown Oakland business owners were again assessing the damage, much as they did after a series of protests related to the killing of unarmed BART rider Oscar Grant in 2009.
Crews were boarding up broken windows at the Tully's Coffee shop just steps from Occupy Oakland's camp at Frank Ogawa Plaza outside City Hall. Graffiti was sprayed on the Rite Aid and Walgreens drugstores across from each other at 14th and Broadway. The city estimated it would cost up to $25,000 to replace broken windows at city buildings.
City Administrator Deanna Santana apologized to business owners for the "chaotic events" that enveloped the city. Mayor Jean Quan called the rioters "a small and isolated group."
"It shouldn't mar the overall impact of the demonstration and the fact that people in the 99 percent movement demonstrated peacefully and, for the most part, were productive and very peaceful," Quan said.
Tagami disagreed, calling the Occupy Oakland encampment "basically concealment and cover for anarchists who are doing this to our city."
"We're very concerned that a group of people can be allowed to do this type of destruction to our town and to our image without any repercussions," Tagami said. "They need to be held accountable." He rejected assertions that the anarchists were a small minority, saying, "No, you can't have it both ways."
Tagami added, "I support a peaceful protest. But it was a siege situation last night, and quite frankly, I'm glad we were here. But I never want to have to do that again."
Other businesses that professed support for Occupy Oakland's general strike didn't escape the damage. Windows at the Men's Wearhouse, which closed Wednesday and put up signs of support, were shattered.
Many Occupy Oakland sympathizers were dismayed by the damage, and some tried to do something about it.
Leandro Marques, 33, and two women were scrubbing graffiti at noontime from the facade of Genji, a Japanese restaurant in the City Hall plaza.
"Doing things to small businesses is about the worst thing you can do," said Marques, an audio engineer who lives in Berkeley. "You're hurting people who are poor like you."
Rachel Konte, owner of Oakllectiv, said her designer clothing shop had its plate glass window smashed and hundreds of dollars of T-shirts stolen.
"Some protesters guarded our store for us," Konte said. "We're so thankful and grateful for that."
She said, "We're still committed to Oakland. I don't know who vandalized us, but I bet they don't live here."
Chronicle staff writers Carolyn Jones and Demian Bulwa contributed to this report. E-mail Henry K. Lee at [email protected]

[RED DAVE]

Break a window and cost Chase a couple of hundred bucks and you're a violent lunatic. Blockade the Port of Oakland and cost capitalists millions and you're a hero... Is it just me or does this seem logically inconsistent to anybody else?No it just shows up the lack of real politics on the part of those who "reak a window."

What is the point of doing this? To express your outrage? Everyone knows that huge numbers of people are outraged. To radicalize people? It is quite likely that such behavior produces a backlash stronger than the event.

"Praxis" is the theory and practice of politics. What is the theoretical justification for breaking a window during a mass, labor-oriented demonstration or a general strike? Do you realize that during an actual general strike, as Oakland experienced in 1946, working class guards were responsible for preventing people from breaking windows, looting, etc.

This crap needs to stop and be replaced by real revolutionary politics.

[B]RED DAVE

[ellipsis]

Whether or not property destruction is productive, in the moment it makes a strong statement of rage, and is an intenslely empower and radicalizing for participants and some observers. You'll notice people in Oakland were getting cheered on by the crowd.

Here is my question: where do you draw the line? Is peeing on the bank volence? Being verbally aggressive while holding a police line? Banging on trashcans? People at these protests have a skewed idea of violence.

[KurtFF8]

I don't think that the question of whether or not it's "violence" is important to the "intra-left debate" on window destruction. I'm sure most sectors of the Left don't see anything inherently wrong with the destruction of bourgeois owned property.

The real problem is the question of whether not it is a viable tactic. On this question, the answer of "well people can express their rage" seems wholly insufficient justification for the actions.

Rage can be expressed in various forms, including "actual violent" ones, but that doesn't mean they should just be accepted as viable methods of building revolutionary struggle.

This is supposed to be a movement, not a venue for individual self expression of rage. That rage needs to be channeled in a collectively productive way that can become a movement for revolutionary change, not to empower the very small groups of people who like to break shit.

[ellipsis]

I don't have to justify anything to anybody thank you.

Is it a viable tactic for continual long term gains? No. That much is clear. But at the same time neither is sitting in a circle chanting ohm and telling the cops how much you love them. Hell neither are marches/rally's in and of themselves. ANSWER hasn't stopped any wars but I still go to their rallies. Squatting is never going to lead to the revolution but I am still a delegate of homes not jails and work with them.

Diversity of tactics is the answer. No one tactic will be one that everybody can agree on and feel comfortable participating in.

In short, if you want an omelet you are going to have to break some eggs.... by throwing them at banks.

[KurtFF8]

I never said you have to justify it to me or anyone.

But another thing that is clear, is that these kinds of actions happen within the broader context of a movement and are done by folks who share a revolutionary goal (or sometimes provocateurs). Because of that, a debate about the viablility of the tactic, whether it's harmful or helpful to the movement, etc. will ensue.

I'm not exactly arguing against a "diversity of tactics" but I feel that as much as people criticize "peaceful protest" and instead opt for black block tactics, they end up being just as "damaging to the movement" or whatnot as the things they criticize.

And don't get me wrong, I enjoy riot porn as much as the next Leftist. But a critical analysis is required when we're in the midst of a movement like this.

[Ele'ill]

Regarding property destruction- it is a tactic. It can be used incompetently and it can be used competently. There is a sliding scale of 'acceptability' depending on timing, target and a handful of other things. Financial loss isn't really feasible as those windows are insured etc.. What it does is break the spell that the world around us, that hurts us, is invincible. It completely breaks down that mythos- it wakes people up. What I liked about the whole foods market shenanigans is that the timing was beautiful- whole foods told its workers that they couldn't participate in the strike- the store was 'attacked' and the spray read 'Strike!'. I think less time could have been spent on the white fence but whatever. I think those people/affinity groups who want to engage in such activity need to take into consideration the comfort levels or desires of other groups marching with them and try to find something to do that doesn't completely scare everyone. Perhaps just broken windows and spray instead of that seemingly never ending onslaught.

As I babbled in that other thread- We had non-radicals with their kids in strollers take bridges and push through police barricades. That's militant and more of a step forward. I liked what I saw there. If there's too much ATTACK people simply don't know what to do and get scared and don't want to march anymore. Piss about it all you want- that's what happens. So we have libs willing to confront the police and link arms with anarchists who are holding metal poles and push through police barricades. I'll take that for now.

[RED DAVE]

I don't have to justify anything to anybody thank you.I beg your pardon, but you do. You have to justify your actions as a Leftist to comrades who confront you. Otherwide, we can consider you just an individual acting on your own moods, desires, uncriticized ideas, etc. and not to be taken seriously.


Is it a viable tactic for continual long term gains? No. That much is clear.Okay.


But at the same time neither is sitting in a circle chanting ohm and telling the cops how much you love them.Okay.


Hell neither are marches/rally's in and of themselves.Okay. But the question then becomes, which tactics lead to wider circles or dissent and, ultimately, to revolution. And which tactics cut the movement off at the knees.

Looking at the recent experience in Greece, a far more radical situation, it would seem that many actions of violence and confrontation have actually retarded the movement rather than advancing it. I'm talking about the bank bombing and the recent confrontatin with the KKE. (I know these actions have to be evaluated carefully and individually.)


ANSWER hasn't stopped any wars but I still go to their rallies. Squatting is never going to lead to the revolution but I am still a delegate of homes not jails and work with them.Cool.


Diversity of tactics is the answer. No one tactic will be one that everybody can agree on and feel comfortable participating in.True. But there are also certain considerations which you are avoiding entirely. One of them is movement democracy. Unless there is an agreement in the group as a whole to confront the cops, attack property (using some euphemism or other), etc., groups or individuals who undertake these actions on their own are taking a lot in their hands. The course of an entire demo can be changed by one act: I have seen this happen. And at this stage of the game for groups or individuals to attack property or the pigs on their own is, in my eyes, not cool.


In short, if you want an omelet you are going to have to break some eggs.... by throwing them at banks.WHOA!

You have just made a very big jump. A few eggs at a bank is one thing. What happened in Oakland (or Greece) is another.

Comrades, what I am saying is this: Individual or small group actions can often be extremely undemocratic in their effects. Fucking look before you leap. Remember that you may be taking hundreds or even thousands off the cliff with you who did not give you right to do this.

RED DAVE

[S.Artesian]

What I meant when referencing reformism was that I personally know an awful lot of former New Left activists who either wound up in SPUSA, Peace and Freedom, or the Democratic Party. Basically, they turned in their marching boots in exchange for the ballot box which is why we got the reaction you're talking about. Anyway, I think you and I are basically on the same page if it means anything to you...


Yeah, it does. Being basically on the same page, when the page is opposition to capitalism, is BIG.

[S.Artesian]

No it just shows up the lack of real politics on the part of those who "reak a window."

What is the point of doing this? To express your outrage? Everyone knows that huge numbers of people are outraged. To radicalize people? It is quite likely that such behavior produces a backlash stronger than the event.

"Praxis" is the theory and practice of politics. What is the theoretical justification for breaking a window during a mass, labor-oriented demonstration or a general strike? Do you realize that during an actual general strike, as Oakland experienced in 1946, working class guards were responsible for preventing people from breaking windows, looting, etc.

This crap needs to stop and be replaced by real revolutionary politics.

[B]RED DAVE


Yes, Dave, but real revolutionary politics includes destruction of capitalist property-- literal destruction of capitalist property; the difference being it will be done by a class aiming at taking power and transforming the relations of production.

The mass strikes by workers in France last year had a certain amount of property destruction involved.

While I agree that the fundamental distinction must be in the politics-- which means the mass activity of the workers themselves-- let's not be blindly singing the praises of "peace guards" or whatever. The performance of these types-- we called them "peace pigs"-- during the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations was disgraceful.

It's a question of who's doing it when and for what reasons....

[tir1944]

Are there a lot of Communists on this event?

[Sasha]

Driver in Mercedes Mows Down Occupy Oakland Protesters (http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/11/03/driver-in-mercedes-mows-down-occupy-oakland-protesters)

Posted by Paul Constant (http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/paul-constant/Author?oid=17693) at 11:52 AM in Occupy (http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/occupy/)


Though this video does show a man running down two Occupy protesters for daring to bang on the hood of his Mercedes, and though it also shows the aftermath of the vehicular assault, the worst part of this whole event isn't on the video: The authorities took the driver's information and then let him go (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/02/BA5G1LQ06S.DTL&tsp=1).
(Via Wonkette (http://wonkette.com/455697/jackass-in-fancy-car-mows-into-oakland-protesters-video).)


vNXGL9As5aI

[the last donut of the night]

vNXGL9As5aI

what a fucking piece of shit. also big fuck you to the police that let him go


anyways beemers are fresher

[KurtFF8]

Are there a lot of Communists on this event?

Boots Riley seemed to get quite a bit of media attention during the announcing of the strike that day, as well as Angela Davis.

So they certainly seem to be present.

I don't know anything about the internal workings of Occupy Oakland though

[agnixie]

Thankfully they both survived. Also there's a picture of the guy somewhere around.

And on property destruction - I'll repeat something that was said (not by me but in the context of a reddit shitstorm because liberals there don't like me at all); the only seriously good argument against window breaking outside of seeking mainstream respectability is that they'll ultimately be the people's window.

[ellipsis]

Red Dave- there is no group or organ in the ows movement by which to make the descision, the general assemblies are flawed and not inclusive of the thousands of People in the streets. The ga only consensuses among it's Participants, and does not and cannot make decision fOr everybody. Black bloc type of peoPle act as autonomous actors and don't pretend to represent the movement.

The whole foods incident and bank assaults by in large took place during the "anti-capitalist march, let by a black bloc of 50. If participants didn't know what to expect or know what anti-capitalist means, that is because they are naive.

Also the police don't need an excuse for repression, don't blame the victim. Look at when they dispersed the protest last week. The only involuntary arrest I have taken as an activist, we were following police orders and following a plan advertised a week in advance. The cops kicked the media out then kettled us and arrested more than 30 people, including lOcal corporate media.

[Decolonize The Left]

Vandalism, select acts of violence, minor destruction of private property, these things cannot be avoided in situations such as the events in Oakland. It is counter-productive to debate the issue itself as it only lends credence to those who will use these acts against the overall protest.

So what if some folks broke some windows?
So what if there was a lot of grafitti?
We're talking about thousands upon thousands of people, many of whom haven't been given shit in their lives except a boot to the face from the man. No fucking kidding they're pissed. They should be. And they should break some shit too.

When people get upset at small groups of individuals breaking windows or whatever it's insulting - how can you honestly think that thousands of people will act in a uniform fashion and under a set of principles which are either unknown or ill-communicated. It's impossible. Just accept that some people wanna fuck shit up and they aren't to be blamed for that. The point here is solidarity among all the protesters. We're all gonna have different ideas of how to go about this so let's accept that there's not gonna be a all-in-one plan for everyone.

- August

[Rainsborough]

This argument over levels of violence, and their acceptability, is starting to remind me of the same debates that we in Britain were subjected to during and after the August uprising here.

[bricolage]

This argument over levels of violence, and their acceptability, is starting to remind me of the same debates that we in Britain were subjected to during and after the August uprising here.
I think it's a bit different though. The arguments against property damage here usually dragged out are that it damages the movement or makes it less popular, this isn't the case for the summer riots as there was no movement or party to speak of, just a direct outpouring of resentment. This is more in line with every argument that ever comes up over every demonstration that ever happens for example March 26 in the UK this year.

[A Marxist Historian]

I beg your pardon, but you do. You have to justify your actions as a Leftist to comrades who confront you. Otherwide, we can consider you just an individual acting on your own moods, desires, uncriticized ideas, etc. and not to be taken seriously.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay. But the question then becomes, which tactics lead to wider circles or dissent and, ultimately, to revolution. And which tactics cut the movement off at the knees.

Looking at the recent experience in Greece, a far more radical situation, it would seem that many actions of violence and confrontation have actually retarded the movement rather than advancing it. I'm talking about the bank bombing and the recent confrontatin with the KKE. (I know these actions have to be evaluated carefully and individually.)

Cool.

True. But there are also certain considerations which you are avoiding entirely. One of them is movement democracy. Unless there is an agreement in the group as a whole to confront the cops, attack property (using some euphemism or other), etc., groups or individuals who undertake these actions on their own are taking a lot in their hands. The course of an entire demo can be changed by one act: I have seen this happen. And at this stage of the game for groups or individuals to attack property or the pigs on their own is, in my eyes, not cool.

WHOA!

You have just made a very big jump. A few eggs at a bank is one thing. What happened in Oakland (or Greece) is another.

Comrades, what I am saying is this: Individual or small group actions can often be extremely undemocratic in their effects. Fucking look before you leap. Remember that you may be taking hundreds or even thousands off the cliff with you who did not give you right to do this.

RED DAVE

Let's not mix up Oakland and Greece. Two different places, two very different situations.

The tactics of the anarchists were pretty irresponsible in Greece too, the Molotov cocktails and all that. But there, the masses wanted to put a stop to the vote in parliament, and the KKE was defending parliament to prevent that.

Democracy is just as important as centralism, the masses wanted action, and the KKE was standing in the way. Literally.

In Oakland, you had a tiny isolated band of Black Bloc anarchists repudiated by everyone else, inlcuding the more liberal anarchists running Occupy Oakland, in a situation with tens of thousands of people in the streets *not interested* in throwing up barricades and setting fire to them in the middle of the street.

Apples and oranges!

-M.H.-

[A Marxist Historian]

This argument over levels of violence, and their acceptability, is starting to remind me of the same debates that we in Britain were subjected to during and after the August uprising here.

Big difference is that in England, you had an apolitical mass eruption, where as here you just have a tiny band of mimics.

In England, much of the left wanted to side with the cops vs. the impoverished youth-minority masses in the streets.

In Oakland, you had a similar situation I should say last year and the year before with the Oscar Grant rebellions, though few of the leftists here were in "support your local police" mode thank goodness. That was left to the liberals.

But now, you see the masses in the streets and this sort of thing is *not* what they want, and not what they were expecting when they marched on the Port of Oakland night before last.

-M.H.-

[NewLeft]

Agent provocateurs are at it again, infiltrating and promoting 'anarchists' to damage property, while the police stands by as the media gets their pictures..

[Fawkes]

Agent provocateurs are at it again, infiltrating and promoting 'anarchists' to damage property, while the police stands by as the media gets their pictures..

Yeah, srzly guys, everyone that commits property damage is a pig in a blanket....

I've done my fair share of property damage and I'm pretty sure I'm not a cop.



Also, I look forward to Anonymous going after that mercedes douche bag.

[NewLeft]

Yeah, srzly guys, everyone that commits property damage is a pig in a blanket....

I've done my fair share of property damage and I'm pretty sure I'm not a cop.


..yet. (Too much snark?)

[praxis1966]

Are there a lot of Communists on this event?

I think I can answer this (along with some of Red Dave's concerns) since I've been at quite a few of the GAs in Oakland and actually have knowledge of the situation on the ground.

The fact is, pick your favorite organization that has a presence in the Bay Area and they've been there pretty much since day one. At every GA I've attended, I've recognized members of ANSWER, various anarchist groups, the ISO, the IBT and even (gag) the RCP. In fact, you wanna know who made the proposal for the general strike in the first place? A member of the IWW. And those are just the ones I personally recognized. I'm sure there were more that I'm not aware of if for no better reason than I didn't know them personally.

The events of the 25th (which had absolutely no property destruction but suffered severe police repression anyway) were a double edged sword, though. On the one hand, OO won a lot of popular sympathy in the wider community. On the other, a bunch of people with really shitty middle class liberal politics started showing up and changing the agenda... That meant a large amount of people started trying to dictate to others what tactics were acceptable and what the actual mission of OO was.

As for Dave's comments about working class guards protecting property in the '46 strike, I just wanna ask him how that worked out? I'm looking around me right now and I ain't seeing a whole lot of socialism so I'm wondering what the fucking point was.

[KurtFF8]

Let's not mix up Oakland and Greece. Two different places, two very different situations.

The tactics of the anarchists were pretty irresponsible in Greece too, the Molotov cocktails and all that. But there, the masses wanted to put a stop to the vote in parliament, and the KKE was defending parliament to prevent that.

Democracy is just as important as centralism, the masses wanted action, and the KKE was standing in the way. Literally.

In Oakland, you had a tiny isolated band of Black Bloc anarchists repudiated by everyone else, inlcuding the more liberal anarchists running Occupy Oakland, in a situation with tens of thousands of people in the streets *not interested* in throwing up barricades and setting fire to them in the middle of the street.

Apples and oranges!

-M.H.-

Not to rehash this debate, but I think it's quite easy for either side in the KKE "defending parliament question" to claim that they were representing the "real masses." So from an anti-KKE political perspective: the KKE was getting in the way of the masses. From the pro-KKE perspective: they were acting on behalf of the masses.

There's of course a third possibility, and that's that the masses are political divided amongst various groups and tendencies.

[A Marxist Historian]

I think I can answer this (along with some of Red Dave's concerns) since I've been at quite a few of the GAs in Oakland and actually have knowledge of the situation on the ground.

The fact is, pick your favorite organization that has a presence in the Bay Area and they've been there pretty much since day one. At every GA I've attended, I've recognized members of ANSWER, various anarchist groups, the ISO, the IBT and even (gag) the RCP. In fact, you wanna know who made the proposal for the general strike in the first place? A member of the IWW. And those are just the ones I personally recognized. I'm sure there were more that I'm not aware of if for no better reason than I didn't know them personally.

The events of the 25th (which had absolutely no property destruction but suffered severe police repression anyway) were a double edged sword, though. On the one hand, OO won a lot of popular sympathy in the wider community. On the other, a bunch of people with really shitty middle class liberal politics started showing up and changing the agenda... That meant a large amount of people started trying to dictate to others what tactics were acceptable and what the actual mission of OO was.

As for Dave's comments about working class guards protecting property in the '46 strike, I just wanna ask him how that worked out? I'm looking around me right now and I ain't seeing a whole lot of socialism so I'm wondering what the fucking point was.

And if windows had been broken we'd have socialism now? Don't think so!

The thing is, you had a mass action shutting down the Port of Oakland, hitting the local ruling class where it really hurts. Not a couple windows bashed in at irrelevant unimportant companies like Whole Foods, better known as Whole Wallet, where the yuppies get their organic greenery, but the working class doesn't shop 'cuz it costs too much.

And the core of this, something a lot of people don't realize, is that it was *the longshoremen* who actually shut the port down! In rebellion against their union officers, who wanted it all to be just a symbolic affair that wouldn't violate the union's contracts. The mass march gave the longshoremen the cover and screen to do a wildcat strike, shut the port down for real and get away with it. Great preparation for the impending national ILWU strike, a serious confrontation between labor and capital potentially much more important than occupying the plaza in front of Quan's office.

In this context, did the huge masses of people in the streets, tens of thousands of people, want to see windows smashed and bonfires set in the streets? No, they didn't. This was an action behind the back of the masses, of a few hundred people, and not what was wanted.

Would it have been better if the tens of thousands of people in the streets were angrier and *wanted* to smash up half of Oakland? Perhaps, arguable. But that wasn't what they wanted. And the revolution will be made by the masses, not by tiny bands of knowitalls forcing something down the throats of the people that they don't want.

So yes, it created a backlash, and was highly counterproductive. But, OTOH, let us keep this in context. The negative effect of this Black Bloc stupidity has now been largely erased by the insane brutality of the Oakland police, who in the middle of this hospitalized *another* Iraq war vet, this time a white small business owner who wasn't even an OWS protester, just a passerby who complained about the cops overreacting!

-M.H.-

[ellipsis]

from indybay (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/03/18697018.php#)


Statement on the Occupation of the former Traveler's Aid Society at 520 16th Street
by some friends of OO
Thursday Nov 3rd, 2011 11:01 AM
---Last night, after one of the most remarkable days of resistance in recent history, some of us within Occupy Oakland took an important next step: we extended the occupation to an unused building near Oscar Grant Plaza. We did this, first off, in order to secure the shelter and space from which to continue organizing during the coming winter months. But we also hoped to use the national spotlight on Oakland to encourage other occupations in colder, more northern climates to consider claiming spaces and moving indoors in order to resist the repressive force of the weather, after so bravely resisting the police and the political establishment. We want this movement to be here next Spring, and claiming unused space is, in our view, the most plausible way forward for us at this point. We had plans to start using this space today as a library, a place for classes and workshops, as well as a dormitory for those with health conditions. We had already begun to move in books from the library.

The building we chose was perfect: not only was it a mere block from Oscar Grant Plaza, but it formerly housed the Traveler's Aid Society, a not-for-profit organization that provided services to the homeless but, due to cuts in government funding, lost its lease Given that Occupy Oakland feeds hundreds of people every day, provides them with places to sleep and equipment for doing so, involves them in the maintenance of the camp (if they so choose), we believe this makes us the ideal tenants of this space, despite our unwillingness to pay for it. None of this should be that surprising, in any case, as talk of such an action has percolated through the movement for months now, and the Oakland GA recently voted to support such occupations materially and otherwise. Business Insider discussed this decision in an article entitled “The Inevitable Has Happened.”

We are well aware that such an action is illegal, just as it is illegal to camp, cook, and live in Oscar Grant Plaza as we have done. We are aware that property law means that what we did last night counts as trespassing, if not burglary. Still, the ferocity of the police response surprised us. Once again, they mobilized hundreds of police officers, armed to the hilt with bean bag guns, tear gas and flashbang grenades, despite the fact that these so-called “less-than-lethal” weapons nearly killed someone last week. The city spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to protect one landlord's right to earn a few thousand every month. Why is this? Whereas the blockade of the port – an action which caused millions of dollars of losses – met with no resistance, the attempt to take one single building, a building that was unused, met with the most brutal and swift response.

The answer: they fear this logical next step from the movement more than anything else. They fear it because they know how much appeal it will have. All across the US thousands upon thousands of commercial and residential spaces sit empty while more and more people are forced to sleep in the streets, or driven deep into poverty while trying to pay their rent despite unemployment or poverty wages. We understand that capitalism is a system that has no care for human needs. It is a system which produces hundreds of thousands of empty houses at the same time as it produces hundreds of thousands of homeless people. The police are the line between these people and these houses. They say: you can stay in your rat-infested park. You can camp out here as long as we want. But the moment that you threaten property rights, we will come at you with everything we have.

It is no longer clear who calls the shots in Oakland anymore. At the same time as OPD and the Alameda County Sheriffs were suiting up and getting ready to smash heads and gas people on 16th St, Mayor Quan was issuing a statement that she wished to speak to us about returning the building to the Traverler's Aid Society. It is clear that the enmity between the Mayor and the Police has grown so intense that the police force is now an autonomous force, making its own decisions, irrespective of City Hall. This gives us even less reason to listen to them or respect the authority now.

We understand that much of the conversation about last night will revolve around the question of violence (though mostly they mean violence to “property,” which is somehow strangely equated with harming human beings). We know that there are many perspectives on these questions, and we should make the space for talking about them. But let us say this to the cops and to the mayor: things got “violent” after the police came. The riot cops marched down Telegraph and then the barricades were lit on fire. The riots cops marched down Telegraph and then bottles got thrown and windows smashed. The riot cops marched down Telegraph and graffiti appeared everywhere.

The point here is obvious: if the police don't want violence, they should stay the hell away.

[ellipsis]

http://www.bayofrage.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/GenStrikePOSTER-715x1024.jpg

[TheGodlessUtopian]

What is this Oakland commune I occasionally hear about? :confused:

[Rusty Shackleford]

What is this Oakland commune I occasionally hear about? :confused:
its an unofficial name of the Occupation at Oakland. I personally dont know how popular it is though. It seems to be popular with the anarchists involved in it. But, the actual Occupy Oakland location has been renamed "Oscar Grant Plaza" in honor and remembrance of Oscar Grant who was murdered by BART pigs Jan. 1, 2009.

[Jimmie Higgins]

10,000s took to the streets in Oakland and helped shut down the ports - yet even on RevLeft people are talking about a couple of broken windows? Ok, now my turn to talk about it...:laugh:

First thing I have to say on this is that the day after the strike there was a steady drum-beat in the media and from the non-profit-dimension of a particular phrase like... "Some people are just bent on destruction... we call them anarchists". The police chief said something like that along with some other talking heads which makes me suspect they are all reading from the same talking-points. First and foremost all radicals should not allow the city and their minions to bait radicals and to try and drive a wedge into the movement. So we should always in public point to the police as the real vandals and thugs... and (since a lot of cops were brought in from other cities and that the vast majority of OPD cops live outside of Oakland in white suburbs) outside agitators.

As far as the internal debate and debate about tactics though, I have to agree, what's the point of these actions when in contrast mass popular rebellion is possible? I was on the student march during the strike and an anti-capitalist march a while ago (before the strike) and both were able to walk right into banks and have 1000s of people supporting there. 10,000 people shut down the ports and had been in contact with the union so there was a better chance that rank and file workers knew what was up and could support. By contrast, a small group of people tried to chain the port closed, were threatened with arrest and the news got to cover angry drivers who were pissed off at the activists - again to try and drive a wedge between the community in general and the occupation activists. And there were 10,000s of people but a small group of scores or possibly 100s tried to occupy a building and got arrested and the police threatened to try and close the camp again.

So to me, why fetishize certain tactics when mass civil disobedience is now possible? We could have had 3,000 people take over a building during the day, with organized defense from people outside and organized attempts to improve the vacant spot and made a statement about the insanity of giving banks money so they could sit on it while people loose homes and buildings stay vacant. They could have made it into a indoor-wing of Oakland occupy (and I think there is a chance that the movement might have to head that way in some of the colder climates). The occupy movement itself is already civil disobedience and that is the era we are in now I think - one where mass disobedience and militancy is possible.

[A Marxist Historian]

from indybay (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/11/03/18697018.php#)

A truly dumb statement. Of course the police want violence. Why make it easy on them?

The people pulling off this stupid stunt were surprised when the police attacked them, whereas they didn't attack the port shutdown, which caused the local ruling class far more damage, and probably was even more illegal. That is because the occupiers are liberals in anarchist disguise, and don't understand the class struggle.

The cops didn't mess with the mass march, because the working class is a much bigger power than they are, and they didn't want to mess with it and mess with the people of Oakland.

So they took their frustrations out on these fools with their stupid irresponsible stunt behind the backs of the masses of people in the streets, who had no idea what they were up to and would have been against it, rightly or wrongly, if they did.

-M.H.-

[brigadista]

im in the uk but this vid really does it for me

tfM5muTE11I

[ellipsis]

As someone who works with homes not jails, I'll agree that the occupation was very flawed and could have been done better. I have worked on multiple building occupations, none resulted in any involuntary arrests on the part of the occupiers, none resulted in any destruction of property other than locks. All were able to bring people on all ends of the political spectrum together, using illegal tactics that violate property rights without it being seen as "violent".

That said, the act of a occupying building in Oakland was an important step for the movement.

Marxist historian- If you can think of a good way to plan direct actions publicly and without security culture, i.e. not "behind the backs of the people," I would love to hear it.

[DaringMehring]

A truly dumb statement. Of course the police want violence. Why make it easy on them?

The people pulling off this stupid stunt were surprised when the police attacked them, whereas they didn't attack the port shutdown, which caused the local ruling class far more damage, and probably was even more illegal. That is because the occupiers are liberals in anarchist disguise, and don't understand the class struggle.

The cops didn't mess with the mass march, because the working class is a much bigger power than they are, and they didn't want to mess with it and mess with the people of Oakland.

So they took their frustrations out on these fools with their stupid irresponsible stunt behind the backs of the masses of people in the streets, who had no idea what they were up to and would have been against it, rightly or wrongly, if they did.

-M.H.-

Going for abandoned buildings that are locked away by property rights, is a good way to show the criminal absurdity of capitalism.

Masses of homeless, masses of empty homes, massive unemployment in construction trades --- thanks capitalism.

Choosing a defunct former homeless-aid building is an even better way of making the point.

I think you are dead wrong. Occupy the spaces capitalism has abandoned and locked away.

[A Marxist Historian]

As someone who works with homes not jails, I'll agree that the occupation was very flawed and could have been done better. I have worked on multiple building occupations, none resulted in any involuntary arrests on the part of the occupiers, none resulted in any destruction of property other than locks. All were able to bring people on all ends of the political spectrum together, using illegal tactics that violate property rights without it being seen as "violent".

That said, the act of a occupying building in Oakland was an important step for the movement.

Marxist historian- If you can think of a good way to plan direct actions publicly and without security culture, i.e. not "behind the backs of the people," I would love to hear it.

The trouble wasn't that it was planned secretly, but that it cut against the grain of what people wanted at that moment. In other words, it was a blunder that backfired, based on a misreading of the political situation and poor planning, and thoughtless anarchist bravado when things came unstuck.

How do you avoid this? Well, this is inevitable with inexperienced people and anarchistic methods of organization. Revolution is a profession like any other, except that it doesn't pay, in material terms at any rate. You need a revolutionary party made up of professional revolutionaries, with experience, who have learned from past mistakes.

Not exactly the cup of tea of the people who did the occupation of course!

But now that I and others have gotten the steam out of our ears about what a dumb stunt this was, my hope is the occupiers will have learned something from their mistakes and will do better next time. It is of course a long way from their conceptions to what I and people like me think is needed, but Rome wasn't built in a day.

-M.H.-

[A Marxist Historian]

Going for abandoned buildings that are locked away by property rights, is a good way to show the criminal absurdity of capitalism.

Masses of homeless, masses of empty homes, massive unemployment in construction trades --- thanks capitalism.

Choosing a defunct former homeless-aid building is an even better way of making the point.

I think you are dead wrong. Occupy the spaces capitalism has abandoned and locked away.

Great idea in theory, in practice it was FUBAR. And for Occupy Oakland to go the route you suggest is now a political impossibility, maybe elsewhere.

But no need to be too disturbed over that, as shutting down the Port of Oakland has gotten the idea of a general strike into the consciousness of the American people, which will have revolutionary consequences, regardless of what happens next with OWS. Hey, OWS in Dallas Texas of all places is trying to do a general strike! I'd be very surprised if this comes off, but the very fact that this is seen as a serious idea there shows just how revolutionary the impact of October 20 was on America.

What the future of OWS is going to be is very much open to question, if for no other reason than that October 20 is a hard act to follow. But in any case, at this point we can say that the movement is a success and has made its notch in the history of the class struggle, even if it disintegrates at this point.

-M.H.-

[ellipsis]

But now that I and others have gotten the steam out of our ears about what a dumb stunt this was

Actually I think you are the only person in this thread to take exception with the occupation of the building.

the GA in Oakland consensed to attempting to occupy buildings to house to the encampment. to say that the occupiers were an outside element acting as a vanguard against the will of the protesters is untrue.


Declaration of Solidarity with Neighborhood Reclamations (http://www.anonym.to/?http://www.occupyoakland.org/2011/11/declaration-of-solidarity-with-neighborhood-reclamations-103111/)

Passed on 10/31/11
Occupy Oakland, in solidarity with the Occupy movement and with the local community, has established the principle of claiming for open use the open space that has been kept from us. We are committed to helping this practice continue and grow. Here in Oakland, thousands of buildings owned by city, banks, and corporations stand idle and abandoned. At the same time social services such as child and healthcare, education, libraries and community spaces are being defunded and eliminated.
Occupy Oakland supports the efforts of people in all Oakland neighborhoods to reclaim abandoned properties for use to meet their own immediate needs. Such spaces are already being occupied and squatted unofficially by the dispossessed, the marginalized, by many of the very people who have joined together here in Oscar Grant Plaza to make this a powerful and diverse movement.
We commit to providing political and material support to neighborhood reclamations, and supporting them in the face of eviction threats or police harassment. In solidarity with the global occupation movement, we encourage the transformation of abandoned spaces into resource centers toward meeting urgent community needs that the current economic system cannot and will not provide. Your conception of conditions on the ground in Oakland is so far removed from reality, it is laughable. A sympathizer of the Spartacus League is lecturing people about anarchist organizing?:laugh:

[Rusty Shackleford]

Around 11 p.m., some protesters began occupying the now vacant Travelers Aid building close to the Occupy campsite. The building had previously housed the Travelers Aid Society, a charitable organization that provided shelter for homeless people and those traveling on a low budget and that had been foreclosed upon. The occupiers decided to restore the building to its original purpose and seize it as a shelter. Once inside, the occupiers erected barriers in front of the entrances.
The Oakland police could no longer contain themselves. Occupiers were using a building left vacant by its owners, the banks, for shelter, and this, the enforcers of the 1 percent, could not tolerate. They attacked the building and retook it, arresting around 80 occupiers.


http://www.pslweb.org/liberationnews/news/eyewitness-oakland-general.html

[ellipsis]

http://www.pslweb.org/liberationnews/news/eyewitness-oakland-general.html

103 was the final number of arrests.

[Os Cangaceiros]

74ffH8lvUXQ

^great video. Entertaining snippets of conversation and dialogue, my favorite was the two masked figures peering into a store, and one of them saying "it is a local business..." (presumably on the question of smashing it)

[Leo]

To those interested:


We are publishing here the calls from the Occupy Oakland General Assembly for a general strike on 2 November. This is a significant development in the ‘Occupy’ movement in the US, which while generally critical of ‘capitalism’ has also been hampered by a very confused view of what capitalism is, and in particular about the only way to oppose it: through the class struggle. But this appeal, coming after a number of very bitter experiences of police repression, marks a real step forward in that it is a direct call to the local working class to support the movement through striking. The response to the call by the GA was very impressive, not so much in the number of work places shut down, which seems to have been uneven, but by the willingness of thousands of workers to join the demonstrations even if it was after work. The evening demo to the port was planned in order to allow those at work to participate and drew in several thousand people (some estimates put it as high as 20,000). Although the port had more or less remained open during the day, the demonstrators succeeded in persuading dockers and truckers to join them and the port was closed for the night. This is how the LA Times described events: "As thousands of protesters flowed toward the port, truckers struggled to drive out. Others, like Mann Singh, stuck around with smiles on their faces. The 42-year-old Pittsburg resident said he arrived at 4:30 p.m. with an empty truck, hoping to park it and go home, but as the demonstrators gathered, he said, ‘I stopped to support them’".

Whatever secondary criticisms we may make of the texts that follow, we can only support their overall spirit and approach:

http://en.internationalism.org/icconline/201111/4578/oakland-occupy-movement-seeks-links-working-class

[Sasha]

i opened a special newswire for occupy oakland developments post general strike: http://www.revleft.com/vb/occupy-oakland-newswire-t164003/index.html?p=2289115

[A Marxist Historian]

Actually I think you are the only person in this thread to take exception with the occupation of the building.

the GA in Oakland consensed to attempting to occupy buildings to house to the encampment. to say that the occupiers were an outside element acting as a vanguard against the will of the protesters is untrue.

Your conception of conditions on the ground in Oakland is so far removed from reality, it is laughable. A sympathizer of the Spartacus League is lecturing people about anarchist organizing?:laugh:

The problem wasn't the idea of occupying the building, quite good in theory, the problem was the execution, the fiasco that ensued with barricades and bonfires, totally disconnected from what the masses wanted. This has been discussed adequately on other threads, I see no need to rehash it here--not least, of course, as the steam has indeed gone out of my ears and I'd rather discuss other things.

I *don't think* this was due to evil outside agitators or even cop provocateurs, as the pacifists argue. But I do think the fiasco is a lesson in why anarchist methods of organizing don't work. Rather than being defensive, you would be wiser to try to learn something from this little failure.

-M.H.-

[bcbm]

occupy oakland's new target: foreclosed buildings (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2011%2F11%2F07%2FMNEO1LRP 7D.DTL)

[ellipsis]

The problem wasn't the idea of occupying the building, quite good in theory, the problem was the execution, the fiasco that ensued with barricades and bonfires, totally disconnected from what the masses wanted. This has been discussed adequately on other threads, I see no need to rehash it here--not least, of course, as the steam has indeed gone out of my ears and I'd rather discuss other things.

I *don't think* this was due to evil outside agitators or even cop provocateurs, as the pacifists argue. But I do think the fiasco is a lesson in why anarchist methods of organizing don't work. Rather than being defensive, you would be wiser to try to learn something from this little failure.

-M.H.-

You seem to be changing your story...

I don't see the day, the occupation of the building, or the aftermath as failures. Learning moments that could have gone differently, for sure.

At the very least, the property destruction forced the entire occupy movement to have a very necessary discussion, on violence/non-violence, on strategy and tactics, etc. The movement prior to this had not really had this discussion. Ergo, success.

[ExUnoDisceOmnes]

Here it is! Occupy Oakland GA (http://www.occupyoakland.org/) just voted up a general strike by 96%!



Video of the vote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOMRom8DLvY
Down with the 4%!

But really, this is really a great movement. Hopefully we'll see some real organization. Now there's a bit more of a concrete purpose.

[aty]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ev8Bg4nT6w (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ev8Bg4nT6w)

[A Marxist Historian]

You seem to be changing your story...

I don't see the day, the occupation of the building, or the aftermath as failures. Learning moments that could have gone differently, for sure.

At the very least, the property destruction forced the entire occupy movement to have a very necessary discussion, on violence/non-violence, on strategy and tactics, etc. The movement prior to this had not really had this discussion. Ergo, success.

The day was a smash success! The shutting down of the Port of Oakland was a tremendous victory.

The occupation was a total failure, anybody who doesn't realize that is a fool.

As for that "very necessary discussion," well, all I can say is too many more "successes" like that and Occupy Oakland will collapse. The danger of a pacifist takeover and quiet surrender is real, and the occupation fiasco has everything to do with that, much more than breaking windows at Whole Foods, which actually didn't even happen.

The "peace police" stopping that was actually a good thing, even though the Whole Wallet Company is capitalism at its worst. Indeed what went down there was ideal, Whole Wallet was forced to issue a public statement that nobody would get fired. If windows *had* been broken they probably could have gotten away with firing people.

I don't think I've changed my "story" one bit over the course of this discussion. My very first post said that the *worst* thing that could happen is the Black Blocksters getting purged and the pacifists in command.

-M.H.-