Politics & Government

Berkeley Joins Occupy Oakland, Strike Rally Draws Thousands

Updated: Demonstrators closed down the Port of Oakland Wednesday night, and two were hit by a car.

[Updated: 11/2/11, 8:45 p.m.]

Thousands of people gathered in Downtown Oakland for the general strike and rally Wednesday. Protesters marched to the Port of Oakland around 5 p.m., blocking entrances and eventually shutting down the port for the night. Around 7:43 p.m., two protesters marching from Frank Ogawa Plaza were hit by a car, according to the Oakland Tribune's live blog of the Oakland strike and rallies. Witnesses told the Tribune that the driver was provoked by a demonstrator who banged on the hood of his car as he tried to turn onto a street filled with demonstrators. Audio of an interview with a witness is available on KGO Radio's website.

"The guy that was driving just lost it and gunned it," said the witness.

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Occupy Berkeley organizers pledged their wholehearted support for Wednesday's general strike in Oakland, and UC Berkeley students held their own rally on campus before joining the protest in Downtown Oakland.

Occupy Berkeley demonstrators met at Downtown Berkeley BART at 4 p.m. and traveled to Frank Ogawa Plaza to join the strike rally planned for 5 p.m. 

Find out what's happening in Berkeleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The strike rallies included political speakers as well as open mic portions, according to Occupy Oakland, "so that everyone can make their voices heard." 

On the UC Berkeley campus Wednesday morning, around 150 people rallied before marching down Telegraph Avenue and on to Downtown Oakland to join the day of action. “We wanted students, workers and faculty to come out to show solidarity with the general strike in Oakland," Berkeley graduate student Shane Boyle told the Daily Californian.

BART anticipated a heavy volume of riders on trains during the Nov. 2 strike and rallies, but trains were not affected. 

Stay tuned for BART, traffic and general strike updates on Berkeley Patch.

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