The organizing efforts of Occupy Oakland have produced enormous results, with reports of roughly 10,000 people participating in the Nov. 2 citywide General Strike.
Protesters marched on Middle Harbor Road to the Port of Oakland where they blocked the entrances to the port. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which has publicly stated its support for the Occupy Movement, citing contractual obligations, did not strike in support.
However, by roughly 5:15 p.m., Omar Benjamin, Executive Director of the port, announced that “Operations are effectively shut down in the maritime area of the Port of Oakland.”
Oakland Police Department had a small presence and no arrests had been made at press time.
“We aren’t going to allow them on the grounds of the port,” Interim Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan said, “but we are going to allow them to move around in the area where they are.”
According to port officials, $39 billion of commerce move through the port each year, with roughly $8.5 million passing through each day.
“The port is the economic engine for the region,” Benjamin said. “So there is an impact.”