Occupy Protest Partly Shuts Down Ports

Protesters break into City Hall, vandalize, throw objects at police

(NEWSER) - Occupy Oakland yesterday had its stormiest protests since November, with about 300 people were arrested in a chaotic day, reports the AP . About 2,000 demonstrators gathered at one point, clashing with police throughout the day. Some protesters hurled rocks, bottles, and other objects, while City Hall was broken into and an American flag was burned. Police responded with tear gas and flash grenades, in addition to the arrests. More»

Activists may not re-establish tent city

(NEWSER) - Occupy protesters were back in the plaza in front of Oakland City Hall just 12 hours after police cleared their encampment yesterday. Around a thousand people gathered in the plaza for a peaceful general assembly soon after police reopened it at 5pm, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Protesters have been told they can gather in the plaza around the clock, but police will no longer allow camping. Many Oakland protesters plan to join an Occupy rally in Berkeley today. More»

Ranger suffers lacerated spleen during Wednesday's violence

(NEWSER) - Another Iraq war veteran has been injured in clashes between police and protesters in Oakland, reports the Guardian . One week after Scott Olsen suffered a fractured skull , Kayvan Sabeghi was hospitalized with a lacerated spleen, which he says was caused by being hit with police batons Wednesday night. "There was a group of police in front of me. They told me to move, but I was like: 'Move to where?' There was nowhere to move," said Sabeghi, a former Army Ranger who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. More»

Dozens arrested after clashes with police

(NEWSER) - What began as a largely peaceful protest in Oakland ended up being marked by the following: shattered windows, graffiti, fires, tear gas, flash-bang grenades, stitches, and arrests. Things didn't get ugly until after midnight, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . Most of the day's approximately 7,000 protesters headed home around 11pm, but a remaining group overtook an empty building two blocks from Occupy Oakland's tent city. They reportedly barricaded both ends of the block the building sits on; started a massive fire whose flames reached heights of 15 feet; hung banners from its roof; and graffitied its exterior. More»

'Occupy' marches in Oakland, Seattle elsewhere get physical

(AP) - Activists across the US joined the worldwide May Day protests today, with Occupy Wall Street members in several cities leading demonstrations and in some cases clashing with police. Some examples:

• In Oakland, police fired tear gas and "flash-bang" grenades to disperse the crowds, sending protesters fleeing a downtown intersection where they were demonstrating. Officers took four people into custody.