Demonstrators shut down Port of Oakland

   “Occupy Oakland” protesters forced marine terminals at the Port of Oakland to shut down operations late Wednesday afternoon, the port authority said in a statement. “Maritime area operations will resume when it is safe and secure to do so,” it said.
   More than 4,000 marchers showed up at the port’s gates in an attempt to shut down the night shift, according to the Oakland Tribune. The crowd stretched for several blocks, with many people climbing on trucks and chanting, “Whose city is it? Our city!” the paper said. Police remained in the background, but the march was peaceful, it said.
    The Associated Press, citing police estimates, put the crowd at about 3,000 people. It blocked exits with chain-link fencing and illegally parked vehicles. Demonstrators also erected fences to block main streets to the port, the AP said.
    The port pleaded with protestors prior to the event to remain peaceful and calm, specifically asking that marchers allow port workers safe passage home. In a statement late last night, the Port of Oakland said there were no injuries, property damage or security problems after the five-hour demonstration.
    The “Occupy Oakland” sit-in turned violent last week in downtown Oakland when police moved in with tear gas to evict protestors from a city square after officials said the area needed to be cleared for safety and health reasons.
    The action at the port was part of a general strike across the city in an effort to highlight anger with corporate greed, widespread unemployment and wage inequality, the Tribune reported. Occupy Oakland demonstrators marched through the city, blocking traffic and chanting — and in some cases, defacing ATMs and breaking windows — at Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Chase Bank branches around downtown Oakland, it said.
   Oakland organizers said they targeted the port because they want to stop the “flow of capital,” according to the AP.
   The Port of Oakland reminded protestors that it directly and indirectly supports 73,000 jobs in the region.
   “Our hope is that the work day can resume tomorrow and that Port workers will be allowed to get to their jobs without incident. Continued missed shifts represent economic hardship for maritime workers, truckers, and their families, as well as lost jobs and lost tax revenue for our region,” it said.