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Summary Protesters hung a large black banner that read: Occupy Everything, Death to Capitalism.
Occupy Wall Street protesters declared victory after thousands of demonstrators shut down one of the nations busiest shipping ports, escalating a movement whose tactics had largely been limited to marches, rallies and tent encampments since it began in September.As a voice over a bullhorn said The night is not over, yet, protest organizers told demonstrators to head back to the downtown plaza where the Oakland movement has been based for more than a month. The Occupy encampment across the street from City Hall also was the scene of intense clashes with authorities last week.The nearly 5-hour protest at the Port of Oakland, the nations fifth-busiest shipping port, was intended to highlight a daylong general strike in the city, which prompted solidarity rallies in New York, Los Angeles and other cities across the nation.The demonstrations in Oakland were largely peaceful and police said there were no arrests. Police estimated that a crowd of about 3,000 had gathered at the port at the height of the demonstration around dusk. Some had marched from the citys downtown, while others had been bused to the port.The crowd disrupted operations by overwhelming the area with people and blocking exits with chain-link fencing and illegally parked vehicles. The demonstrators also erected fences to block main streets to the port. No trucks were allowed into or out of the area.Port spokesman Isaac Kos-Read said evening operations had been effectively shut down. And later port officials released a statement saying that maritime activity would be cancelled indefinitely, but they hoped to resume the work day Thursday.Hours after the rally began, the crowd began to dwindle and a voice on a bullhorn declared a victory for the movement, saying, The port has been shut down. Lets head back to the plaza.The Oakland protests became a rallying point for the far-flung movement last week when an Iraq War veteran was injured in clashes with police in riot gear that included multiple volleys of tear gas, reports of flash bang grenades and rubber bullets.In Philadelphia, protesters were arrested earlier Wednesday as they held a sit-in at the headquarters of cable giant Comcast. Military veterans marched in uniform in New York, angry at their dim job prospects. And parents and their kids, some in strollers, joined the Oakland rallies by forming a childrens brigade.Oakland organizers said they targeted the port because they want to stop the flow of capital. The port sends goods primarily to Asia, including wine as well as rice, fruits and nuts, and handles imported electronics, apparel and manufacturing equipment, mostly from Asia, as well as cars and parts from Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Hyundai.Craig Merrilees, spokesman for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, said its members were not being called to strike, but that they supported the protesters.The members are supporting the concerns raised by Occupy Oakland and the Occupy movement to speak up for the 99 percent and against the corporate greed that is wrecking America, Merrilees said.As protesters left the area on foot some stopped to burn money, others bickered, and one burned an American flag.Zachary RunningWolf, a well-known Bay Area activist, said he burned the flag to start an educated discussion among us.The days events in Oakland began with a rally outside City Hall that drew more than 3,000 people who spilled into the streets and disrupted the downtown commute. Protesters hung a large black banner that read: Occupy Everything, DEATH TO CAPITALISM.The crowd included students, families with young children and many people wearing labor union T-shirts. Shut down the 1 percent. We are the 99 percent, they chanted.Although windows at two bank branches and a Whole Foods store were broken and graffiti was painted inside one of the banks, officials described the protests as peaceful and orderly and said no arrests had been made.There was little to no visible police presence all day, although authorities were on standby in case of an emergency, officials said.Elsewhere, police in Philadelphia arrested nine protesters who staged a sit-in inside the Comcast lobby. Officers handcuffed them and led into police vans as supporters cheered.One protester, Bri Barton, said she was there because the gleaming Comcast tower represents excessive wealth in a city with many blighted neighborhoods. Its hard for me to see this and that existing in the same city, she said.In New York, about 100 military veterans marched in uniform and stopped in front of the New York Stock Exchange, standing in loose formation as police officers on scooters separated them from the entrance. On the other side was a lineup of NYPD horses carrying officers with nightsticks.The veterans were also angry that returned from war to find few job prospects. Wall Street corporations have played a big role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Bordeleau, now a college student. He said private contractors have reaped big profits in those countries.In Boston, college students and union workers marched on Bank of America offices, the Harvard Club and the Statehouse to protest the nations burgeoning student debt crisis.They say total outstanding student loans exceed credit card debt, increase by $1 million every six minutes and will reach $1 trillion this year, potentially undermining the economy.
