Nov. 2, 2011: 12 years ago, November 2 2011, at least 15,000 demonstrators shut down the [...]

12 years ago, November 2 2011, at least 15,000 demonstrators shut down the Port of Oakland. The action was the centerpiece of a “general strike” that had been called by an Occupy Oakland general assembly the previous week, after the police violently cleared their camps

Although the action fell far short of a true “general strike,” it enjoyed widespread community support. A number of Oakland schools closed for the day, and dozens of small businesses went temporarily cash-only, in an earnest, if confused, anti-bank protest https://t.co/CDLE7Flk2S

Early in the day, flying pickets confronted businesses who had threatened their workers with termination if they joined the strike (at least one was pressured into closing for the day), and multiple businesses and banks shut down after occupiers blockaded their entrances

Protesters were divided over the question of property destruction, as militants in the crowd smashed windows at a number of banks and municipal buildings. Most notably, scuffles broke out between demonstrators at Whole Foods, which had threatened to fire striking workers

Thousands converged on the port, where they blocked vehicles with barricades and their bodies, and climbed atop trucks and other equipment. One participant described experiencing “a collective joy that is beyond words.” Most longshore workers greeted the marchers very warmly

Demonstrations continued into the night, during which there were a number of clashes with police, and a car plowed into two protesters. Although the movement continued into the following year, the November 2nd General Strike proved to be Occupy Oakland’s high point