May Day Oakland or SF help

[A Revolutionary Tool]

I've never been to a huge protest before and I would really like to make it out to a May Day event in Oakland or San Francisco. So I've never been to a big protest before and I'm not too familiar with either city. I'm still trying to figure out how I would even get out there but I could probably take BART or Amtrak if I could get out to Dublin or Stockton but I still wouldn't know where to go after I got off the train. Like where do people gather to start events off in either place?

Also if I was going to be able to go what would I wear/bring with me in a back pack? Anybody from either city got any ideas?

[Prometeo liberado]

Mapquest your route so that you have a good sense of time and the amount of walking you'll be doing. Yes on the back pack. Bring water, lite food like nuts or apples(you may not be able to sit down and order food), pen and paper, jacket, handkerchief(many reasons), and more water. Also, intend on being out all day with little chance of clean available restrooms. So no big breakfast. Dress for lite for the day as you will be warm with all that walking, but have a coat or jacket ready for the early evening. I always double sock and wear cross trainers for max comfort.
Occupy SF or Oakland should have a meeting place posted on their website. Or try any of the various left parties websites. God luck!

[ellipsis]

U should go to sf, cops a lot more forgiving. Also sf commune two is opening...

[ellipsis]

Bart will do for either city, Amtrak for sf definately. Pm me if you want, I can fill u in.

[marl]

Lots of water, and if in Oakland, a bandana.

[ellipsis]

Plus one for durable and comfortable footwear.

[Prometeo liberado]

Plus one for durable and comfortable footwear.

Very good point!. Like I said earlier, crsoss trainers. This is not a time for a fashion statement. A friend just tol me the she always packs a roll of toilet paper with her if she going to be out there all day. You never know what to expect in a porta-potty.

[Magón]

SF is a pretty easy place to traverse, even for someone not familiar with the city. The neighborhoods/districts are rather easy to know which one you're in, and where the others are since if you do get mixed up, all you have to do is find either the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, or any other landmark like that, and you'll find where you are relatively easy.

As for actually getting to Oakland or SF, Amtrak will only take you to a little place outside of Oakland. I don't think any lines go into either city? Greyhound bus though, does take you into either, there's a hub in each if I'm not mistaken. At least there is one for sure in SF, I think it's near the Wharf too. If you choose to hit SF, and just want to ride in without having to get across a bridge, then the bus would be your best bet.

Water and a hat would be good to. It can get hot if you're out in the sun for most of the time, but if there's a breeze happening, you'll cool down quick enough. It's not like SoCal.

[Rusty Shackleford]

i heard that OSF and OO are converging in oakland at around 5pm on mayday.

[A Revolutionary Tool]

Thanks for the tips peeps, I will have a great May Day!

[ellipsis]

Good luck today comrade

[bad ideas actualised by alcohol]

My only advice is; Don't get killed!

[ellipsis]

hope u had a good time and kicked some ass.

[A Revolutionary Tool]

Fuck yeah I did. jbeard thanks for the awesome advice of double socking, shit saved my life. Also thanks marl for the bandana advice, totally came in handy.

[ellipsis]

Is the something u learned that you would post in this thread for others in the same situation?

[TheGodlessUtopian]

How much walking did you end up doing? I usually travel fourteen miles by foot to make it to my events.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Fuck yeah I did. jbeard thanks for the awesome advice of double socking, shit saved my life. Also thanks marl for the bandana advice, totally came in handy.

How did the bandanna serve you?

[Prometeo liberado]

Fuck yeah I did. jbeard thanks for the awesome advice of double socking, shit saved my life. Also thanks marl for the bandana advice, totally came in handy.

Glad to see that everyone here could make it a better day for you comrade.
The shit we have to do to be treated as humans,right?

[A Revolutionary Tool]

TheGodlessUtopian, I don't know how many miles I ended up walking but it was almost 12 and a half hours of walking around with only one or two times sitting down to rest. One march was about 5 miles there and back and we did a lot of zig-zagging across the city. And the bandana helped protect my identity.

A few things which I learned the other day.
1) Make sure you make a general plan of what you're going to do that day. When the day begins and for when it will end.
2) Try and become aware of everything that your group will be doing, you don't want to be caught up in a situation you never wanted to be in.
3) If you don't want to directly face off with the police, don't congregate near the front of the march or the rear but in the center.
4) Try and keep your eye on the police and check your surroundings for if you need to get the hell out of the place.
5) Bring some extra clothes just in case you need to change.
6) If there's a heavy police presence don't wonder too far in front of or behind the group, try and keep the whole group tight.
7) Another thing I'll add is don't listen to what everybody says, take what people say with a grain of salt. Sometimes I was in the middle of the march or near the end and I was hearing about stuff that people were doing at the front which ended up being completely false.

I'm sure there is more I could add but they're not coming to mind right now.

[ellipsis]

Fuck yah, all good lessons, especially the part about not listening to what random people say. I am impressed you learned all that in one day.