The protests being billed as action against "Wall Street on the waterfront" are perhaps the Occupy movement's most dramatic gesture since police raids sent most remaining camps scattering last month. Demonstrators began forming those camps around the country about two months ago to protest what they call corporate greed and economic inequality.
Kari Koch, organizer with Shut Down the Ports Working Group of Occupy Portland, said by shutting down the port, Wall Street will be unable to create profit.
"We will not stand for corporate profits at the expense of working people, we will not stand for attacks on workers, and we will not allow our schools to be closed, social services slashed, and families to be impoverished by your greed!" Koch said Monday in statement.
Organizers hope to draw thousands to stand in solidarity with longshoremen and port truckers they say are being exploited.
"Taking on and blocking the 1 percent at the port is also taking on the global issue of exploitation by capitalism," said Occupy Oakland blockade organizer Barucha Peller.
The action has already started at the busy ports of Oakland, Los Angeles/Long Beach,and Portland and is expected to extend to other West Coast ports.
The effect this is going to have on small businesses during the holiday season and the people whose jobs depend on them or whose jobs are connected to the ports is obviously not a concern to the OWS crowd...because they gotta make a statement!
There is a silver lining in this cloud, however.
One thing most ports have in abundance is fire hoses, and being that the protesters are so close to the water's edge. Remember, cleanliness is next to G-dliness...and it all drains to the ocean.
Another alternative is treating the OWS gang to a little cruise, perhaps in a nice container or three. I'd recommend China as a destination, since the Chinese are directly affected by the tying up of their exports and would no doubt want to spend a little time re-educating the OWS crowd on why obstructing their exports was not a nice thing to do.
They certainly wouldn't be missed here, and a valuable life lesson awaits.
Of course, if we had real leadership in the White House things might be very different. But of course, we don't.
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