Occupiers shut down port; vandalism followed

Photo

Protesters help an injured Occupy Oakland demonstrator after a police-fi red projectile struck his leg on Thursday.

Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif.

Occupy Wall Street protesters had just half a day to celebrate what they saw as their biggest victory so far: a daylong gathering in Oakland, Calif., that drew thousands of people and led to the peaceful shutdown of the nation’s fifth-busiest port. Then, after midnight, the vandalism began.

Hours after a small group of what city leaders called “provocateurs” clashed with riot police, set fires and shattered windows early Thursday, demonstrators across the country condemned the violence and wondered whether it was a turn that would destroy their cause.

“They don’t speak for the majority of people who were here yesterday,” said Hadas Alterman, a college student who was gathering trash at a tent camp near Oakland City Hall. “That was an hour of action, and we were out here for 12 hours and it was peaceful.”

The 3,000-person protest outside the port represented an escalation in tactics as demonstrators targeted a major symbol of the nation’s commerce with peaceful rallies and sit-ins, managing to effectively suspend maritime operations there for the night.

On Thursday afternoon, representatives from the Occupy Oakland media committee read a statement saying participants supported the goal of reclaiming empty buildings to serve the public but regretted that their daylong downtown demonstration was marred by an “autonomous” group.