Thursday, November 3, 2011

10,000 Occupiers Shut Down Port of Oakland Wednesday

I worked the 4-midnight shift Wednesday reporting from the field and shooting photos. I rode from Berkeley to Oakland on my bike and soon joined a group of about 300 bicyclists who were on their way to the port, so I phoned my editor who said: "go with them." 
They cruised around downtown Oakland blocking intersections and then went to the port and were the first ones to shut down it down. They blocked the first entrance to the docks by simply parking in the intersection. In the next two hours thousands and thousands of people from little kids to old folks streamed into the port. 
For the most part, the truckers were supportive. The truckers caught in the huge swarms of people just turned off their engines and enjoyed the show. Some were mad too and yelled at the protesters. There were at least a dozen bands playing and people dancing.
The day and night was not without tension and mischief, however. People broke windows on downtown banks and trashed a nearby Whole Foods. And at about 7:30 an angry motorist driving a Mercedes  at 11th and Broadway in downtown Oakland drove into a crowd crossing the street and seriously injured two people. I came upon the carnage seconds after it happened. The two people who were hit looked like they were in bad shape. It was ugly. When I got there a woman was sitting in the driver's seat, but witnesses said the man was actually driving but switched places with her after he hit the pedestrians.


All in a night's work.
Sunset portrait session on top of a stranded truck in the Port of Oakland Wednesday Nov. 2, 2011..
(Photo by Doug Oakley)

For two hours on Wednesday Nov. 2. 2011 a four-lane road into the Port of Oakland was clogged with protesters streaming in. (Photo by Doug Oakley)

Truckers let protesters climb on top of their rigs. Bands played on Wednesday Nov. 2, 2011. (Photo by Doug Oakley)

People climbed on top of a railroad bridge and on top of train cars in the Port of Oakland Wednesday Nov. 2, 2011. (Photo by Doug Oakley)

People were everywhere in the Port of Oakland Wednesday Nov 2, 2011. (Photo by Doug Oakley)

Dancing on top of the stranded trucks Wednesday Nov. 2, 2011. (Photo by Doug Oakley)

Witnesses said a man driving this Mercedes in background deliberately ran over two demonstrators in downtown Oakland Wednesday night Nov. 2, 2011. (Photo by Doug Oakley)

Trucks stranded, protester jumping from one truck to the other on Wednesday Nov. 2, 2011. (Photo by Doug Oakley)

People climb up  the back of a truck in the Port of Oakland on Wednesday Nov. 2, 2011. (Photo by Doug Oakley)

Occupy protester in Port of Oakland on Wednesday Nov. 2, 2011. (Photo by Doug Oakley)

Getting a better look at  the masses of protesters on Wednesday Nov. 2, 2011. (Photo by Doug Oakley)

Marching with a banner in the Port of Oakland on Wednesday Nov. 2, 2011. (Photo by Doug Oakley)

Lots of interesting costumes at Port of Oakland Wednesday Nov. 2, 2011. (Photo by Doug Oakley)

Stranded  trucks and tons of people in the Port of Oakland on Wednesday Nov. 2, 2011. (Photo by Doug Oakley)

Dock worker trying to drive through a crowd of 10,000 protesters at Port of Oakland on Wednesday Nov. 2, 2011. (Photo by Doug Oakley)

(Photo by Doug Oakley)

(Photo by Doug Oakley)

(Photo by Doug Oakley)

(Photo by Doug Oakley)

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