OWS movement plans to blockade West Coast ports on monday

Expect lots and lots and lots of cops beating up protesters.

Occupy Wall Street looks to block West Coast ports

* Blocking ports simultaneously could be difficult

* Oakland has mounted a public relations campaign

* Union workers largely expected to stay on the job

Anti-Wall Street protesters, hoping to briefly cripple a key supply chain of American commerce and re-energize their movement, plan to attempt to block major West Coast ports on Monday.

By marching on U.S. ports from California to Alaska, organizers look to call attention to economic inequalities in the country and a financial system they complain is unfairly tilted toward the wealthy.

Probably won't work and lots of people are gonna get their butts kicked by the cops, but good luck to them.

reply to post by Vitchilo

Why the hell are they blocking up ports, dude?

reply to post by Vitchilo


ALEA IACTA EST The die has been cast...

Thats exactly what i was thinking when i heard of this. They aren't just gonna hurt wall street but the actual blue collared workers at the docks if they succeed.

The organizers want violence and martyrs maybe they will get it this time?

This is why I couldn't ever get behind the OWS movement.

The theory behind them blocking up the ports is if they can stop the products from coming into port and being shipped then it hurts the wealth of the 1%. What they don't understand is that it's only hurting the 99%.

The whole OWS movement is completely clueless.

Port of Los Angeles is gonna be hard to shut down believe me the cops are gonna be there and when the ows arrived that's when the party begins

Bit of a tough one for me, at 1st I was 100% supportive of this action but as it got closer to the date some union workers, and some independent truck drivers have spoken against the action saying it will hurt them. I've heard conflicting stories so while I remain supportive of Occupy I am unsure about this move, even though I like the idea of Goldman Sachs taking a small but noticeble punch. Some union workers have gone on camera in support some against. I don't know if publically they are not supporting so as to not be retaliated against or what.

"We're shutting down these ports because of the union busting and attacks on the working class by the 1%: the firing of Port truckers organizing at SSA terminals in LA; the attempt to rupture ILWU union jurisdiction in Longview, WA by EGT. EGT includes Bunge LTD, a company which reported 2.5 billion dollars in profit last year and has economically devastated poor people in Argentina and Brazil. SSA is responsible for inhumane working conditions and gross exploitation of port truckers and is owned by Goldman Sachs. EGT and Goldman Sachs is Wallstreet on the Waterfront" stated Barucha Peller of the West Coast Port Blockade Assembly of Occupy Oakland.

Source

Because of union busting these "unions" are no longer able to legally strike on their own but as on Nov 2, no punishment can be given against workers by employers (EGT/Goldman Sachs) if action is taken by an outside group. Also some of the truckers in order to gain those contracts have had to sign contracts forbidding them to unionize. These truckers incur all costs of maintaining their trucks, gasoline, tolls and weights.

Some have said port workers in a few other ports across the world will also shut down their ports in solidarity, but I haven't found any sources for those claims. I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow, hopefully no one gets hurt or killed.

Great Idea!
Let's halt commerce and negatively effect all the normal, hardworking Americans while doing diddly squat to "the 1%"!!!!!
These folks are geniuses!!!!

Look i am all for the idea behind the beginning of this movement. heres the thing they are trying to cut down a tree to get to one bad apple... things need to change yes. am i unhappy with the way things are heading yes.....

but they are messing with people that are the supposed 99%
oh lets make it where blue collars cant work lets help drive up some inflation on imports yeah lets cripple our brothers and sisters..... retards

they want to create blood shed and martyrs soon they are going to have people that are hard working blue collars breathing down there necks ready to break them.....

i no longer support this movement ..

Too Funny!! I hope the followers don't get confused and show up at the wrong time

Action Schedule:

Meet between 5:00-5:15pm at W. Oakland BART (try to be on time, things will be moving very quickly)
5:30am March to Port from W. Oakland BART
3pm meet at 14th & Broadway
4pm March to Port
5pm March to Port from West Oakland Bart

westcoastportshutdown.org...

Meet between 5 and 5:15 PM!! and begin the March at 5:30 AM. Classic! Good Luck with that!!

I honestly hope that this does not turn violent today!!

At least SOMEONE is doing SOMETHING, even if it doesn't make too much sense. I have to admit that it doesn't but we shall see how it unfolds.

Generally, I'm supportive of OWS only because I'm fed up with this country, this world, this planet.

More power to them. People are worried about their jobs now... so they freak out if anything effects business, so maybe it will be enough to wake a few more people up.

I hope every single person reading this realizes they are living on borrowed time economically, and that by the time the "masses" realize the "conspiracy nuts" were not all the same, that some of them were just concerned citizens revealing unbelievable horrors. By that time we'll all be in the same boat. Done.

So at least they're doing something before the end. Better than most.

ustream coverage (live)

This stream is covering Long Beach, about 500 protesters just crossed police lines after being warned they would be arrested if they went further.

livestream solidarity march/protest outside Goldman Sachs NYC


livestream oakland

It looks like the police were too prepared in Long Beach, I don't think that port will be shut down, Oakland looks successful so far.

So… you speak on behalf of the 99% by stopping the 99% from working and getting a pay check? Shut down the ports, you will not do anything but annoy the 1% but you will cause those workers to lose precious hours of work which may mean they do not have enough money to pay their heating bill because most workers live on a small budget. It is stupid things like this that completely discredit the intelligence of the people engaged in this movement.

They are completely clueless; they want to hurt labor workers to help labor workers? These morons just need to go back to their universities because they do not fit in the real world. You shut down my job for the day and I will grab a baseball bat and join the police to knock your lights out.

Originally posted by Misoir
So… you speak on behalf of the 99% by stopping the 99% from working and getting a pay check? Shut down the ports, you will not do anything but annoy the 1% but you will cause those workers to lose precious hours of work which may mean they do not have enough money to pay their heating bill because most workers live on a small budget. It is stupid things like this that completely discredit the intelligence of the people engaged in this movement.

They are completely clueless; they want to hurt labor workers to help labor workers? These morons just need to go back to their universities because they do not fit in the real world. You shut down my job for the day and I will grab a baseball bat and join the police to knock your lights out.

edit on 12/12/2011 by Misoir because: (no reason given)

That everyone in the USA is in serious danger of losing their jobs/lives because of thieving evil people doesn't inspire you to get a bat.

Just someone pointing it out?

It looked like Long Beach was going to fail but it seems the union workers have joined and the streets are blocked. No confirmation of this, just how it looks to my eyes.

Oakland looks successful, also joined by union workers.

Confirmed Oakland is shut down by BOTH union workers and occupiers.


Both locations being confronted by lines of riot police, pushing them back.


In Oakland the riot police have left.


Now reports that Oakland hasn't been fully shut down.

reply to post by thejlxc


Are you recommending I take a bat to a gun fight?

Long beach, police arming with "less than lethal" guns. Not sure if it's rubber bullets or beanbags.

UStream live

Protesters surrounding them to prevent them from firing.


Long Beach PD just announcing that it has declared the blockade an unlawful assembly and the crowd must disperse, failing to do so will can result in great personal harm...they're saying they will use impact weapons, police dogs bodily force, chemical agents and tasers.

The point of blocking the ports is that they're owned by EGT and Goldman Sachs and that the Longshoreman/truck drivers/etc are legally barred from striking. They get payed crap wages, have to buy their own trucks and fuel, etc.

Also, shutting down the ports for a few hours isn't going to adversely affect the economy of the entire nation, but it will bring attention.

The truck drivers they interviewed during the Oakland blockade last time were a little annoyed, but otherwise okay with it; they understood it was their futures being fought for, too.