I wasn’t there on the night of October 25, when police used tear gas and rubber bullets against peaceful protesters as they marched through downtown Oakland. Working late in San Francisco, I watched in horror as my twitter stream exploded with first-hand accounts of what was happening there. Read more on Boing Boing. That article has a collection of excellent photos and many links that tell more of the story.
Prepared for a long night, I joined Occupy Oakland’s General Assembly after the park had been reclaimed. The crowd was huge and in good spirits. A thousand voices spoke at once as the People’s Mic. I heard and repeated the message that the people in Tahrir Square in Egypt planned to march in solidarity with Oakland. My eyes watered then, and I cried a few days later when their photos were posted.
Another announcement in the General Assembly was that Occupy San Francisco was being threatened with a late night raid by the police. MUNI buses full of cops were staged nearby. They needed more people on the ground in Justin Herman Plaza. So, many of us crossed the bay to join them.
Upon arrival, a friend asked if I had the phone number for the National Lawyers Guild written on me yet. I rolled up a sleeve, and he wrote it for me. All throughout the night, there were people wandering through the crowd with sharpies, making sure everyone had the number.
Rumor spread through the crowd that the buses full of police had moved to Treasure Island. No one had photos or could say this for sure, so Aaron Muszalski and Ian Baker drove to Treasure Island to confirm. The rumor was true. They posted photos. Ian asked them what they were doing on Treasure Island. Their answer was “training exercise”. They followed the cops when they moved, keeping us updated with twitter. As they headed toward San Francisco, the crowd formed a protective ring around the camp. Eventually it became clear that a raid was unlikely and the camp was safe for the night.
