Thousands of demonstrators forced shipping terminals in Oakland, Calif., Portland, Ore., and Longview, Wash., to halt parts of their operations Monday and some intend to keep their blockade attempts ramped up overnight.
At least one outside observer who has followed political movements for decades said the port blockades were an indicator of the disruptive activities likely to continue for months and right until next year’s presidential elections.
The movement, which sprang up this fall against what it sees as corporate greed and economic inequality, focused on the ports as the “economic engines for the elite.” It comes weeks after police raids cleared out most of their tent camps.
Protesters are most upset by two West Coast companies: port operator SSA Marine and grain exporter EGT. Investment banking giant Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owns a major stake in SSA Marine and has been a frequent target of protesters.
Demonstrators say they are standing up for workers against the port companies, which have had recent high-profile clashes with union workers. Longshoremen in Longview, for example, have had a longstanding dispute with EGT, which employs workers from a different union to staff its terminal. The longshoremen’s union says the jobs rightfully belong to them.
About 7:30 a.m., the port released a statement that "maritime operations continue at the Port with sporadic disruptions for truckers trying to enter and exit marine terminal gates." Two protesters were arrested in the late morning for impeding traffic at the entrance to PortsAmerica, Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan said.
Shortly after 10 a.m. the bulk of the protesters left, declaring victory. Truck traffic resumed at PortsAmerica. But others such as Hanjin, SSA and TraPac remained closed for the day, leaving high and dry truckers who arrived to drop off or pick up cargo.
Protester Shake Anderson, who said he has been involved in the Occupy Oakland movement since the beginning, said the demonstrators’ strategy is to keep a large crowd at the port to make it difficult for police to make arrests.
In a last-minute appeal on Sunday, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan issued an open letter to protesters, telling them that shutting down the port could cost workers lost wages, and affect the ability of the port to attract business in the future.
"What is the target in this action? Who will it really hurt?" Quan wrote in her letter.
"The Port of Oakland is not the home of the 1 percent. Rather, it generates over 73,000 jobs in the region and is connected to more than 800,000 jobs across the country. It is one of the best sources of good paying blue-collar jobs left in our city," Jean Quan wrote.
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