Winning on the Waterfront

Front-lines reportage from my friend, longtime messenger, labor & cycling activist Howard Williams:

*Winning on the Waterfront*
by Howard A. Williams

On November 2, 2011, a general strike was attempted in Oakland, California, the site of America's last general strike in 1946. Perhaps with the awareness that a good defense is sometimes a good offense, the general strike was called on October 26 by the Occupy Oakland's General Assembly shortly after Oakland civil authorities and police had attempted to oust them from their two encampments.
To many, the October 26 call for a general strike in just one week seemed too audacious to be successful. After all, Occupy activists had retaken their Oakland camps only that morning and across the Bay, Occupy San Francisco was enduring a night long standoff against an expected police assault that did not happen. And the American Left has so often offered baseless grandstanding gestures that it has become reflexive to ignore them as soon as they are announced. Almost every May Day some group calls a general strike.
But it is a sign of the Occupy movement's strength that the strike call quickly began to be seen as a real contest with a possibility of victory instead of just another "leftier than thou" posturing.
In the runup to November 2, the movement's strengths would have to be utilized to overcome still real but no longer prohibitive weaknesses. In the over six decades since America's last general strike, many have imagined an overly romanticized yet limited idea of general strikes. Most people -- even radicals -- think that the goal of a general strike is to shut a city down. This is partially correct. The goal of a general strike is to shut down and then run the city. Aware that their stoppages could endanger their own neighborhoods as well as other communities, workers in Seattle (1919), San Francisco (1934), Oakland (1946) and other general strike cities made sure food and medicines were delivered. Strike committees policed their cities and crime usually declined. As those who have struck can testify, striking is hard w ork. A general strike is all the more difficult.
As a union member, I felt that not enough workers would strike to shut down Oakland. The one week deadline would be too big an obstacle to organize so many workers to stage what would be an illegal walkout.
But shutting down Oakland's seaport -- America's fifth busiest -- was a real possibility. As someone who has worked as a longshoreman and has attended their boisterous yet ultimately democratic meetings, I have seen the militancy of union port workers. And the contract for West Coast longshore workers excuses them from crossing what is called a community picket line, especially if can cause unsafe conditions. A community picket line peopled by thousands of increasingly angry, disenfranchised Americans would qualify as a reason for longshore workers to stay off work. When such a situation occurs, the union and shipping corporations seek the decision of an arbitrator who often comes to the Port to examine the situation.
And a port shutdown would be effective. Shutting down the nation's fifth busiest port for one day can disrupt product delivery in the western US for up to a week.
As November 2 approached, it became clear that what was developing would not be a citywide work stoppage but rather a series of morning demonstrations that might succeed in shutting many banks and nearby businesses. After these actions, protestors would regroup downtown in the afternoon to rally and then march to shut down the Port of Oakland. This variety of nonviolent methods not only increased the chances of success, it also allowed individual protestors to choose which tactic to use. Indeed, the possibility for victory was enhanced by each protestor’s autonomy.
Many people chose to avoid the clashes of the morning -- and thus not get arrested -- and then join the attempt to shut down the Port of Oakland in the late afternoon. Regardless of how the morning's events would turn out, many of us believed the day would be won or lost on the waterfront. As a result, thousands would wait till the afternoon to demonstrate.
November 2 dawned brightly with only a few faraway clouds in a crisp blue autumn sky. Most of the morning went well. Although some workers stayed away from their jobs and several small businesses closed in sympathy, downtown would only be shut down by direct action protests. Demonstrators were able to close most banks and many other businesses. John Robb blocked a Chase Bank, first by himself for several minutes and then with another Occupy demonstrator. After a thirty minute standoff with Chase security, they were joined by other marchers who forced the branch to close. Most demonstrators marched forcefully though nonviolently, blocking banks, other businesses and sometimes traffic. However, some vandals did attack some businesses, usually banks but also targeting pro-Occupy shops. And then, minutes later, Occupy demonstrators would show up to help clean and repair the damage caused by vandals. Other protestors put informational posters on several bank doors detailing their financial offenses.
At a Specialty's, some of their workers joined protestors to occupy the inside and chant slogans demanding, then compelling management to close the cafe.
But matters were less peaceful -- and less successful -- at a Whole Foods market. Responding to an online rumor, demonstrators marched on the grocery only to be upstaged by masked vandals who trashed the store's windows, antagonized workers, customers and protestors -- and only closed the store for a few minutes.
Nevertheless, the tactic of sending flying squads to close businesses usually proved effective if geographically limited. Out in the neighborhoods, supermarkets, gas stations and other corporate outlets stayed open. But by the afternoon, downtown branches of Bank of America, Wells Fargo and other major banks were closed along with other businesses.
The stage was set for the showdown at the Port.
The day before, the Port's spokesperson declared that the Port would stay open.
Just before 3 PM, I arrived on my bicycle at Frank Ogawa Plaza. The plaza is now unofficially but widely known as Oscar Grant Plaza in honor of the unarmed black American man slain by a policeman on New Year's Day 2009.
Thousands of demonstrators jammed the plaza and spilled out onto surrounding streets. Like Oakland's 1946 General Strike, the mood was as festive as it was militant. The plaza had been taken over since the morning and was crowded with some demonstrators listening to a speech while others were dancing to a live band. Unions had donated over one thousand lunches. But I had no time to indulge any of these pastimes. A black woman announced on a bullhorn that cyclists would ride in a Critical Mass to the Port almost two miles west. The bikers would be followed by a caravan of chartered buses and then by marchers.
I saw a friend of mine on his bike who had remembered to bring a bandanna and bottle of vinegar, the necessary materials for defense against tear gas. It was then that I realized that I'd forgotten mine. My fear of being arrested "overseas" (I live across the Bay in San Francisco) was so strong that I never gave it the attention I should have.
Just after 3 PM, the cyclists took off. Except for a squad car parked along the route, I saw no police activity as we rode through West Oakland toward the Port. We set a steady pace. The goal was to shut the Port at the longshore workers' shift change at 7 PM, almost four hours later.
I felt a sense of anticipation but little tension as we rode through the foreclosure-ravaged community of West Oakland. We set a steady pace. Some riders chanted or whooped triumphantly but most of us rode quietly yet confidently -- at least outwardly so. I had started near the back, then saw and took a chance to bust a messenger move and reach the front. Before 3:30 PM, we turned south onto Adeline Street, the road to the Port. Ahead of us loomed a bridge ascending over Interstate 880 and the railroad and then descending to the Port. I was riding a fixed wheel bike with a 45:18 gear ratio. Made by Mikkelsen in nearby Alameda, it was the perfect cycle for this rising grade.
Riders at the front soon crested the bridge. At the top, I stopped to survey the scene. Ahead of us sprawled the Port, a line of high mechanical cranes towering above twenty berths where massive ships from across the Pacific were docked. And behind stretched a crowd of cyclists surging up the bridge. In their midst a skateboarder approached. In the distance were the buses. I couldn't even see the crowd of marchers following on foot.
Briefly I savored the moment but also knew we were needed down by the Port's gates, not up on the bridge enjoying the view. Later I would hear from many others that when they reached the top of the bridge, they too stood awestruck, looking both backwards and forward. Estimates of the number of people in the day's actions vary from the police estimate of 7,000 up to 100,000.
As the bridge descends to the Port, Adeline Street turns north and its name changes to Middle Harbor Road. Along the road's west side are four gates to the Port. I stopped with a crowd that had assembled at the south gate, the first one on our route.
We milled about and some cyclists had already blocked cars and trucks from entering -- or leaving -- the gate. Some of us questioned the tactic of stopping vehicles from leaving and occasionally a departing car or truck was allowed through a gap in the line.
A squad of about twenty motorcycle cops cruised by ominously. Another cyclist and I agreed that they weren't Oakland cops. We later learned they were California Highway Patrol officers who went to the north entrance to divert traffic.
Jack Heyman, an activist longshore worker of International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10, arrived and with Chris Carlsson and others started to organize a picket line. Eventually, we set up an unconventional one with cyclists riding in a circle. Unconventional yet effective.
Meanwhile, other cyclists rode by toward the three other gates. The first bus showed up to escort more reinforcements to the northern gates. More cyclists kept arriving even as the first marchers appeared on the bridge.
By all appearances we had secured the south gate so I asked Jack if I should go to another one.
"You know SSA Gate ?"
"I think so. I worked over there about ten years ago."
"Good. Go over there, they need help."
SSA refers to the shipping line owned by Goldman Sachs and its gate accesses a large part of the Port. At SSA Gate, Stan Woods, a rank and file member of ILWU Local 6, took charge and in his gentle West Virginia drawl taught the crowd the technique of a picket line. We set up a line on foot. Conventional ... yet effective.
In the west the sun was dropping lower.
By now more marchers were arriving and we were coming to a consciousness of what our power could do. More chants emerged from the ranks.
"Whose port?"
"Our port!"
A huge cheer rose from the crowd when Occupy San Francisco marchers arrived to join the line.
Not everybody marched on the picket line. Most of the recent arrivals milled about in gleeful yet restrained chaos. They even seemed shy to march when some picketers called for them to join. It really didn't matter though. The picket line was long enough to block the gate and that was all we needed. Far more people continued to occupy the entire Middle Harbor Road making impossible almost any approach to the gate by outside traffic. We not only were meeting all criteria for shutting down the Port, we were exceeding them. And most longshore workers were probably enjoying this chance to have a day off for a cause most of them supported.
The lowering sun glowed in the western sky as 6 PM drew near. There was still another hour until the shift change. By now Middle Harbor Road was filled with thousands of people representing the diversity of the Bay Area. Skateboarding youth zipped by leftist elders, one of whom sported an Abraham Lincoln Brigade T-shirt. A guitarist played folk songs. Kids of all races danced to hip hop. Community youth groups such as United Playaz represented. Cyclists cruised through the crowd. Back at the south gate, a rock band set up their equipment and powered their sound system by a rider on a stationary bicycle. Clergy from an interfaith group unfurled their banner and marched on the SSA picket line. A few people carried signs saying "I'll believe corporations are people when Texas executes one." But I preferred the one that pointed out that "If corporations are people, then 17 year old BevMo Stores needs to wait four more years to buy liquor." Lengthy but clever. A woman wore a T-shirt stating "I teach middle school, you don’t scare me." A bearded man in a robe carried a sign declaring "The Beginning is Near." A dignified looking elderly black woman carried a sign that portrayed Harriet Tubman. Another sign urged us to "Be Excellent to Each Other." A black longshoreman wore a T shirt portraying Malcolm X with two of his daughters. “Fatherhood by any means necessary” was inscribed on the shirt. Occupy campers from other Bay Area cities showed their colors and mingled with workers in their union T-shirts. There were masked people including some with Guy Fawkes images. I didn't see any nudists.
Except for the brief drive by the motorcycle cops around 4 PM, I saw no police at the Port.
As darkness covered the waterfront, a festive air accompanied it. Chanting faded and was slowly replaced by the sounds of rock and hip hop emerging from portable sound systems. A few people sparked up celebratory marijuana. Some of us worried that such festivities might be premature and overconfident.
Well, it was easy to be confident. The shift change began at 7 PM and this time port workers were allowed to exit, albeit slowly. There was no sign of any vehicles trying to enter the Port. The crowd's continuing occupation of Middle Harbor Road and its approaches made vehicle access impossible. Whose road ? Our road !
A friend and I rode to the north gate. Along the way we passed the third gate. There, a picket line marched in the midst of a laid back crowd. We reached the north gate. Here at the northern end of the demonstration, the crowd was thinner but there was no sign of any approaching vehicles.
I rode back to my place on the SSA Gate picket line. People were saying that the arbitrator still had not ruled and that the shift change was moved to 8 PM. So we kept picketing.
One picketer, probably trying to start a chant, yelled out "Are you pissed off?"
A few people answered by rote, shouting "Yeah!" but they were drowned out by a cheerful "No!" coming from a group of cyclists and young women.
"Are you pi- what ?"
"No!" the motley group repeated.
"How can you not be angry?" he demanded indignantly.
"Because we're winning!"
We were winning and it sure made me happy but we hadn't won yet.
Shortly after 8 PM, we heard that the arbitrator had just ruled that the longshore workers were excused from work with pay.
The Port of Oakland was officially closed until 3 AM the next morning.
People cheered but it really was anti-climactic. To those of us who have worked at the Port and even to casual observers, the battle had been won almost four hours earlier when we had set up picket lines at all the gates along Middle Harbor Road. From that moment all we had to do was hold our positions. I sat down on a ledge and reflected on our accomplishment. The first thought that came to my mind was that of all the many groups gathered downtown at 3 PM, it was bicycle riders who had gone out first. At the time, I didn't really grasp the significance. I was at Ogawa/Grant Plaza on my bike and told that bikers were going out first. Not first, just first. If we'd been told to go second or ninth, it would have been the same to me. I was there waiting to do my duty, whatever it may be. But now with our major goal accomplished and the Occupy movement having won its greatest victory, I had a chance to see our assignment differently.
We bicyclists had been first.
First to ride from Ogawa/Grant Plaza. First to reach the Port and its gates. First -- along with others -- to set up picket lines. First to block big rig trucks. First to start the human movement of shutting down the nation's fifth busiest seaport.
First.
And that awareness really did bring a tear to my eye. Having been a Bay Area messenger and bike activist for almost three decades, I realized it was probably the greatest respect our cycling community had ever received in all those years. I brushed my eyes with a silent gratitude to the Occupy movement for giving us bicyclists this singular honor.
And then I noticed how clean the air was. A large American port is a very polluted place. When the Port of Oakland is busy, each of its twenty berths is docked by a ship with heaters, refrigeration and other motors running. On every berth, next to each ship is a line of idling trucks. Outside the gates, more trucks drive up and down Middle Harbor Road. On the nearby rail yards, freight trains spew more diesel into the sky. With all that pollution, it's no wonder that longshore workers have a contract provision that might get them a few extra days off each year.
But tonight the Port and Middle Harbor Road were occupied by people enjoying a fresh, warm breeze blowing in from the Bay. And for all our faults, we human beings are still cleaner than motor vehicles.
Not long after the Port shutdown announcement, people began returning to Occupy Oakland or BART stations or other destinations. As I rode toward the West Oakland BART, I passed groups who often erupted in shouts of happiness. Even on the BART train ride back to San Francisco people kept up their celebratory and occasionally loud mood.
For all of its history, Oakland has been unfavorably compared with its elegant neighbors San Francisco and Berkeley. “Jokeland” was a familiar epithet in Bay Area conversations. In recent years, this undeserved civic inferiority complex has been aggravated by budget crises that have crippled schools, police and other basic services. But on November 2, 2011, thousands of Oaklanders and their friends marched with a confidence and purpose that met the immediate task and which can face future challenges.
Later, before midnight, a small group of masked vandals grabbed media attention by breaking into the abandoned Traveler's Aid Building. Perhaps they felt confident and wanted to ride the winning momentum. The target was a logical one if the timing was not. The group sought to use the building as a community resource. But for the first time that day, the police responded with significant force. Confrontation ensued and lasted almost till dawn. Protestors set up barricades and then set some of them ablaze. A fire was started in the building. By the time the police ousted the group, about 100 people were arrested. It is tempting and possibly accurate to suggest that a few of these "anarchists" -- as they are routinely yet unreflectively labeled by the media -- are actually police agents provocateur. But even if a few are, the bigger problem is that many are following their lead. Whether these followers are wannabe media stars, apolitical troublemakers or misguided but passionate activists, they have concluded that such tactics are functional.
The failed takeover of the Traveler's Aid Building tarnished an otherwise near perfect day of organized action and coordinated unity. Even at 3 AM the next morning, as the squad of masked vandals were doing minor arson, hundreds were still demonstrating at the Port.
Much ink and Webspace has been devoted to the actions of the media described "anarchists," including notable comments by longtime Bay Area historians and activists Davey D and Chris Carlsson. They point out that these tactics eventually actualize a losing strategy. The vandals -- those who target only major corporations -- certainly have a point: their targets are guilty of far worse than property damage. And because of that point, their targets are usually our targets: powerful examples of the Multi-National Corporate structure which have caused and exacerbated this latest, quite severe rupture of America’s economic and political system. But a few vandals have used indiscreet means to besmirch the cause of millions. A major victory achieved by thousands was hijacked by a tiny group urging a spontaneous and undiscussed action.
Their actions detracted from the movement's greatest triumph, leaving a sour aftertaste to the victory feast.
Or perhaps these masked guys might learn from those women and cyclists who when asked why they weren't angry, cheerfully answered, "Because we're winning!"

Epilogue : December 12 West Coast Port Shutdown

The impacts and internal tensions of November 2's nonviolent triumph and well publicized vandalism became a metaphor for events in the following weeks. Occupy camps were attacked nationwide and the movement again responded with audacious militancy.
This time, the movement made errors that would prove to be more consequential but again not prohibitive. On November 18, Occupy Oakland called for a December 12 shutdown of all ports on the West Coast in response to the police crackdowns against Occupy camps and in solidarity with longshore workers at Longview, Washington who lost their jurisdiction at Export Grain Terminal as well as with truck drivers organizing at the huge Los Angeles/Long Beach Port. However, the ILWU leadership opposed the port shutdown, stating that labor struggles should be led by the workers who are directly affected. While some rank and file ILWU members favored the shutdown, there was no direct reply by Occupy to the ILWU leaders’ point that longshore workers should determine the course of their resistance. And port truck drivers seemed to be split on the shutdown. Finally, there was concern that this time the move really was too ambitious. Closing down one port such as on November 2, was one matter. Shutting down the entire West Coast would be a severe test at a difficult time.
On the 12th, fewer people marched in Oakland (3,000 by one count) and many did so with mixed feelings. Some stated that they did so as a sense of duty to the movement instead of to the specific tactic. Nevertheless, a few thousand did their duty and some enthusiastically so, closing the ports of Oakland, Portland and Longview. Occupy protestors marched in Long Beach, Seattle and other coast cities but failed to shut down those ports. With more support from the ILWU, success would have been certain. People in West Coast labor and maritime circles know that when the longshoremen decide to shut down a port, it will be shut down. The fact that most West Coast ports stayed open, shows that Occupy still has work to do in developing solidarity with workers. But the movement also showed maturity on the 12th. This time there was none of the impulsive vandalism that had tarnished the November 2 victory. And demonstrations all across the country in support of the West Coast actions showed that the movement is still very active, even in the midst of holiday activity and winter weather.
Just as the victory on November 2 proved that the Occupy movement is a real political force so the stalemate on December 12 shows that it has the potential to endure the coming winter.

cyclocross race footage

From my last race ... cool overhead remote camera footage from Coyote Point Park, San Mateo County:

why the ports blockade is misguided

This is from my hometown newspaper. I'm pretty sure they don't serve any corporate interest:

http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/local/grass-seed-growers-burned-by-occupy-protest/article_4c93c61c-2530-11e1-92be-001871e3ce6c.html

I support the aims of Occupy. Occupy is the most significant social movement of the last few decades. I just don't want Occupy to alienate the working class it claims to represent. Occupy Oakland, in particular, is on rough ground. My recommendation: leave the ports alone. I've got an idea: let's march in downtown SF. Let's give speeches in front of the FRB. Plenty of hedge funds work on Montgomery St. Or the headquarters of Twitter, who claim to enable social revolutions, but who threatened to leave SF unless the mayor and the supes kicked down payroll tax exemptions. Then I'll pick up a picket sign. How about representing the unheard-of ICs who work in high-tech companies every day, but who are afraid to speak up for fear of losing their jobs? I once met an IC for Intel in Oregon who biked to work every day, but had to use a different employee locker room than the employees had. That's right, they enforced a difference between independent contractors (IC) and employees.

port occupation a tactical mistake

I feel like this article says it pretty well: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/12/13/BAFC1MBL7C.DTL

The ILWU shut down the port at the beginning of the Iraq War. They are a progressive union, especially the Bay Area locals. The Teamsters, not so much. I wouldn't stand in front of their trucks. I'm glad no one got hurt; that was a real possibility. I understand everyone's grievances, etc., the support of the miscategorized "independent contractor" (IC) drivers who aren't able to be represented by a union. As for the labor struggle in Longview, WA, I think the ILWU, not Occupy, is best able to represent themselves there.

In 2000-2001, I organized bike messengers under ILWU Local 6, although my company chose to shut down rather than face a union election (a typical tactic). I have the utmost respect for the ILWU and its elected officials, who helped us all along. Here's what the ILWU President had to say about the Occupy shutdown: http://www.longshoreshippingnews.com/2011/12/message-from-pres-mcellrath-we-share-occupys-concerns-about-america-but-egt-battle-is-complicated/

Here's something to think about: the Panama Canal is being widened to accomodate the larger container ships that must now dock in West Coast Ports. A recent issue of *Trains* magazine had a feature story about East Coast railroads getting ready to handle the shift of Midwestern and East Coast container traffic, specifically citing the "unstable" labor relations on the West Coast, and implicitly blaming the ILWU. The shift of port, longshore, warehouse, and railroad jobs to the East Coast or Canada won't help the working class, won't help Oakland, won't help the 99%.

Remember, The Man loves it when us working people squabble over tactics, yell at each other, accuse each other of being sellouts or politically impure.

this is what drives me crazy about Occupy

Occupy has targeted West Coast ports for labor actions on 12/12. This is a mistake, unless Occupy can learn something about the labor movement. Learn why the "general strike" of 2011 was not a general strike, compared to 1946 and 1934. Here's the link, if you're curious: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1934_West_Coast_waterfront_strike. The ILWU (International Longshore and Warehouse Union) and the Teamsters control the Port of Oakland. They are not the enemy.

This is the essential failure of the Occupy movement -- they target local governments for what is the fault of the Federal government. There is nothing the City of Oakland, or any other city, can do to change the taxation structure, or the austerity movement, of the Federal government. If you want to make your point, camp out on the Washington DC Mall, or in front of whatever Federal Building is nearby. Leave the cities alone. And blockading the ports is just a dumb move. The ILWU and Teamsters are your friends if you approach them correctly, but if you understand their history, they have never given ground to people who tell them what to do. Furthermore, they have a lot more longevity and muscle power than the Occupy movement does. Occupy would do well to make friends, and learn. The labor movement has been doing this for over 100 years.

http://www.longshoreshippingnews.com/2011/11/port-of-oakland-girds-for-blockade/

Or, correct me if I'm wrong. I keep reading about how this is in solidarity with ILWU actions in Longview, WA. The situation in Longview is definitely not right. A multinational is importing scabs to build a new facility after promising local jobs to the people of Longview. OK, that's messed up. But when the other ILWU locals are saying, don't blockade the ports, why are you doing it? Just to get arrested, and make a point? Do it in Washington, where it counts. Stop tearing up Oakland, stop tearing up other working-class cities. Go to where the 1% live, stop doing it where the 99% work. The Occupy movement needs to grow up, or become developmentally arrested.

Alameda Superior Court now closes at 2:30p

I hate missing filing deadlines. So please be aware that all branches of Alameda Superior Court close at 2:30p, every day. Also, no more "integrated justice system" -- all civil filings must be done at their originating branch, ie: Oakland filings only in Oakland, Hayward only in Hayward, etc.

sound familiar?

"Towns passed laws against their [International Workers of the World] speaking on street corners, and the word went out so that every loose Wobbly in five hundred miles grabbed the next freight, intent on climbing up on a soapbox long enough to get himself arrested. They jammed the hails, wore out the police, used up the city funds, and they kept on coming till the authorities buckled or they themselves were overwhelmed." -- Wallace Stegner, *The Preacher and the Slave*, page ix, 1950.

save the USPS

As someone who delivers packages daily, I have the utmost respect for the USPS and their employees. Please sign this petition to save Saturday delivery, and the jobs of a federal agency whose ranks are staffed with 22% military veterans.

riots etc.

Occupy turns violent ... no wait, these are Penn State students upset because the university fired their famous coach before his last home game ... a famous coach whose inaction protected a pedophile. Nice to see that Penn State students are willing to fight for something that matters. In this case they're mad at the media because they think the media turned their beloved coach into the scapegoat. I think the media should decline to broadcast their football game this weekend.

police/community relations in Oakland

For more insight on the trouble relationship between the Oakland police and the community, read the interview with ex-police chief Anthony Batts -- I wish he were still in charge.

more riots

Check out this shocking riot, burning rubbish in the middle of the street, hapless motorists assaulted ... oh wait, it's actually from 1 year ago when the Giants won the World Series.

Occupy the Port?

I'm confused how shutting down the Port of Oakland (apparently in solidarity with striking longshoremen in Longview, WA, but there's nothing on the ILWU site about it), or wrecking downtown Oakland accomplishes anything. Throwing rocks through the Men's Wearhouse window does nothing to improve Oakland's horrible unemployment rate. I wish the anarchists would go back to France, or Santa Cruz, and leave Oakland to the people that want to make it a better place.

In better news, Scott Olsen, the protester injured last week by a police tear gas grenade, has seen improvement in his condition, although I believe he's still in the hospital. Update about his condition here.

Update 11/30/11 -- the ILWU did *not* shut down the port. Apparently, only the ILWU decides when to strike or not, not when other people say they should.

http://www.longshoreshippingnews.com/2011/11/longshoremens-union-rejects-occupy-protestors-call-for-strike/

oakland PD critically injures Occupy protester

I was born after the 60s. I'm not used to this sort of thing. But what's going on in our country angers and disgusts me. Furthermore, I'm moving to Oakland, and this is how they treat protesters over there. The video is not for the faint of heart. The whizzing bullets are rubber, I'm told, although they can break glass and probably a limb, and certainly put out your eye, and the loud bangs are flash-bang (concussion) grenades, which can permanently deafen and blind, and yes, it sounds like a war zone because it is one. The injured protester is Scott Olsen, a Marine veteran of the Iraq war. He remains in critical condition.

A friend of mine was nearby, and said that after the disperse warning was given by Oakland PD and other (anonymous?) law enforcement agencies (CHP yes, BART police maybe?), they commenced a barrage of tear gas canisters, one of which probably fractured Olsen's skull, then one officer threw a flash-bang grenade at the protesters who tried to carry Olsen to safety.

See it here:



and here:

help is on the way

help_is_on_the_way.jpg, a photo by chris_rocket on Flickr.

It's nice to know help is only a button away. But the last time I accidentally pressed the "help" button, I got someone's voice mail.

messengers must not loiter

messengers_loiter.jpg, a photo by chris_rocket on Flickr.

This sign is posted by a freight elevator, and you have no choice but to "loiter" by it while you wait for the very slow elevator.

Messengers are often forced to ride the freight, which can take longer than actually riding from pickup to delivery.

sabormetrics

Dogs, a photo by (ariel) on Flickr.

As my beloved Giants turn "torture" into "waterboarding," I propose a new way of enjoying baseball -- sabormetrics -- the quantitative analysis of ballpark food. At AT&T Park in San Francisco, everyone knows (and fears) the garlic fries, but I'd like to return to the value of the humble hot dog, or ballpark frank. Photo courtesy of Ariel.

There is one, and only, Doggie Diner at AT&T that has hot sauerkraut. Combine that with grilled onions, and you've got a tasty frank. My friend Cris, who has been to many ballparks, thought it was delicious. I give it a EDA (Earned Drool Average) of 1.02.

Across the bay in Oakland, there's cheaper beer, of course, but also delightful grilled burgers! During an afternoon game, the scent of sizzling meat drifts from the BBQ outpost in left field. I thought the double cheeseburger was amazing, Cris thought it merely average. My favorite O.co treat: two tacos with a tallboy of Corona Light.

More sabormetrics photos here

baby blue heron

It might be gone by now, but the last time I made a delivery to the Old Post Office in Oakland, 201 13th St, there was a noisy baby blue heron demanding food, in this tree right about here:

http://tinyurl.com/4xzx9ff

It was making a noise like a crazed homeless person, audible about a block away. I hope it got some food.

words not to say

Two things I'd like no one to every write or say again:

-- "app" for appetizer. It's bad enough that "application" is now shortened to "app" for mobile devices, and we have to hear about "killer apps" constantly, but the Chronicle food writers should just give it up. Call it by its right name. Actually, what the hell is an appetizer these days anyone? It's like an entree, but more $$ per ounce.

-- "vacay" for vacation. I shouldn't have to explain this.

SF superior in jeopardy

This is serious. This could really mess up justice in SF. I'd rather see the city ditch the Zoo than the court system. After all, if someone owes you money, and the court won't help you, your only alternatives are the mafia, or street justice. Not to mention 15 months for a divorce.

Read about it here and here

bike jock

Watching Dodgers v Giants tonight. Never thought of myself as a jock, but I guess I am. A skinny little bike jock. My friend Deuce pointed out that watching baseball is calming. I agree. You should follow his blog 2+2=2, a truly gritty chronicle of the NorCal road racing circuit. Tour de France minus the steroids, podium girls, and 6-digit contracts. Racing for the pure love of testing yourself and your machine.

Austrian messenger wins Race Across America`

28-year-old bike messenger from Austria wins the Race Across America (RAAM) ... to learn just how difficult that is, read on

landlords who lose security deposits

Here at Docket Rocket, we seem to be serving more and more small claims actions against landlords who refuse to return their tenants' security deposits, sometimes for no reason at all. By San Francisco law, they're supposed to keep the deposits in a separate account. I'm wondering if they made bad investments, lost their tenants' deposits, and invent a pretext to avoid returning the $$$. I'm also wondering if anyone at the SF Chronicle or Examiner is interested in looking into this story.

bike.jpg

banksy_bike.jpg, a photo by chris_rocket on Flickr.

Can you name the artist and SF location?

follow this blog

Read my friend Irene's blog: thislittleplot.wordpress.com. We met in a writing class at San Francisco State years ago, and happily coincidence, she also knew my wife. Irene writes movingly about family, health, nature, and life.

bread

I am becoming a Bread fan. I'm not being ironic. I really like it.

triple rush -- bike messenger TV show

Looks like Triple Rush has flamed out after only three episodes. Keep an eye peeled for repeats on Travel Channel.

Rest assured that my company, Docket Rocket, is nothing like any of these companies.

All I could find on YouTube was this:

double rush / triple rush

I enjoyed watching "Triple Rush" on Travel channel. Like any reality show, it distorts reality and creates drama, and I doubt the people involved were too happy about how they came off, but that's the danger, isn't it?

I just found out that there was a short 1995 messenger sitcom called "Double Rush," featuring David Arquette. It actually made me laugh, in a good way. Reminded me of "Taxi." Check it out (the pilot is in 3 parts). I love the New York 90s look: body armor, full-face helmets... like Fly Girls and ski racers.

Docket Rocket legal courier

me_elevator_best.jpg
Originally uploaded by chris_rocket

Might as well tell you who we work for. Docket Rocket legal courier, San Francisco's best process serving, document delivery, fax filing, court filing service. Owner and worker-operated. Ten years in business.

http://www.docketrocket.com

'nuff said.

Surf City cyclocross

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Originally uploaded by tedketai

3rd overall in Men's B at Surf City Series, Santa Cruz. And my season is over.

Thanks to Ted Ketai for use of the photo.