Tens of thousands of people streamed into Oakland on November 2nd to answer the call for a general strike, the week after police violently attacked the Occupy movement at city hall with tear gas, flash grenades and bean bag bullets. The attempt to evict the camp failed, but Scott Olsen, an Iraq war veteran and Occupy participant, was stricken by a tear gas canister and remains hospitalized. The protesters called for a general strike in response to the police violence, as well as the overall demands of the Occupy movement. They are seeking an end to economic inequality and to stop the balancing of the economic crisis on the backs of working people. There were rallies and marches throughout the day, halting business as usual in the downtown district. Banks and stores remained shuttered. From there, the protesters moved to the port of Oakland to shut it down with a massive human blockade. This was also a success. “At this time maritime operations are effectively shut down”, declared the Port of Oakland in a statement to the press. Labor had a strong presence, including the SEIU, AFT, Teamsters, NUHW, Iron Workers, and other trade unions. Said one city worker, “I'm here because they cut, cut, and cut our pay and benefits but the administrators keep pulling down $300,000 a year.” Alex, a recent Berkeley graduate said, “Today is a great start towards a movement that can fight the evictions happening all over Oakland.” These pictures tell some of the story of November 2 in Oakland.

_Protesters denounce new Hennepin County threats to end OccupyMN _

Minneapolis, MN – More than 200 people gathered at People’s Plaza in Minneapolis, Nov. 2, to stand up for the right of assembly and to protest government repression of the Occupy movement around the country, particularly in Oakland, California. Speakers at the rally also denounced a new statement by Hennepin County threatening to end the OccupyMN occupation here in Minneapolis when the temperature hits 25 degrees or at the first snowfall.

Milwaukee, WI- Occupy Milwaukee held a second march, Oct. 29, joining with Occupy the Hood. 400 people marched from Lincoln Park down a busy street, ending at a closed-down auto factory. Milwaukee's north side is predominately African-American and is one of the hardest hit areas in the country. Speakers from the labor, anti-racist and peace movements decried the 1% for de-unionization, foreclosures, job loss, wars and military spending, deportations and Wisconsin Senate Bill 207 – a bill aimed to further disenfranchise felons.

Minneapolis, MN – About 600 people, chanting “the banks got bailed out, we got sold out,” joined Occupy MN, along with labor unions and community groups for a march on the banks here, Oct. 29. The protest coincided with the anniversary of the 1929 Stock Market Crash.

Milwaukee, WI – On November 12th, over a hundred student organizers from across the country will gather here to participate in the 6th annual National Convention of [Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)](http://www.newsds.org). SDS was re-founded in 2006 in response to the upsurge of war in the Middle East and the need for a united, national multi-issue radical student and youth organization in the United States.

Minneapolis, MN – Following a march on the banks here, October 29, more than 40 people attended a teach-in organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Entitled, “How capitalism works, and why it doesn’t work for the 99%,” the event brought together activists for a serious discussion on what is wrong with the capitalist system.

Minneapolis, MN – About 150 people joined the American Indian Movement, the Indigenous Environmental Network and OccupyMN for a rally and march to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline, Oct. 27. Speaking in front of the Canadian Consulate, Clyde Bellecourt, of the American Indian Movement expressed solidarity with OccupyMN, denounced the oppression of native peoples and urged support for the movement to bock the pipeline.

Chicago, IL – The Occupy Chicago movement and the Coalition Against NATO/G8 War & Poverty Agenda (CANG8) came together 150 strong, Oct. 26, to defend the right to protest against war and corporate greed.

Des Moines, IA – The movement started by Occupy Wall Street continues to spread. Occupy Des Moines has been in place for over two weeks. 13 were arrested on their first night, Oct. 9, and the city responded by granting them a park to camp in. On Oct. 22 they marched to Obama's campaign headquarters.

Minneapolis, MN – Students from colleges and universities across the Twin Cities gathered for the second week in a row, Oct. 19, at the Occupy MN space in downtown Minneapolis.

State government here is considering a bill, SB207/AB286, that will permanently economically disenfranchise over 62,000 Wisconsinites who have been convicted of felonies. The bill makes it legal for employers to discriminate against them, not only in the hiring process, but also to terminate them from jobs where they are already employed whether or not their felony conviction is substantially related to the job. It would also ban cities and municipalities from creating laws to protect constituents from this type of discrimination. The bill has already passed the Assembly and is on its way to becoming law.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reports that “The second rally against exploitation and oppression by capital under the slogan ‘Occupy Seoul!’ was staged in the plaza of Seoul City Office,” Oct. 22.

Winston-Salem, NC – Over 100 Occupy Winston-Salem activists protested Oct. 22 in front of the local Wells Fargo branch to expose the bank’s racist policies against African-American and Latino communities.

Chicago, IL – Registered nurses from across the U.S. today condemned Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel for his decision to arrest nurse volunteers, as well as peaceful protesters, in a late night crackdown, Oct. 22 at the Occupy Chicago protest.

More than 2500 people gathered in downtown here, on the night of Saturday, Oct. 22. Trade unions again embraced the Occupy movement and committed to turn their members out. Young and old took to Jackson Avenue, taking the entire width of the street as they marched through downtown.

Milwaukee, WI – Occupy Milwaukee held a theatrical “Crisis 101” teach-in, Oct. 20, at M&I Bank, a TARP bailout recipient.

Gainesville, FL – Occupy Gainesville has witnessed a healthy level of involvement from people here, with recent protests against Wall Street. Rallying at the central downtown location of Bo Diddley Plaza Oct. 13, community members were pleased to see Bo Diddley's son, Ellas Anthony McDaniel, speaking out in support of Occupy Gainesville and Occupy Wall Street.

Minneapolis, MN – Seven people were arrested as over 100 people from OccupyMN protested outside of U.S. Bank Plaza, Oct. 20. The seven arrested set up tents outside the bank and blocked traffic at a major downtown intersection. The protest highlighted the hypocrisy of big banks foreclosing people’s homes while U.S. Bank’s bosses’ pay doubled over the past year and the bank rakes in record profits.

Winston-Salem, NC – 200 people demonstrated on the sidewalk in front of the Bank of America branch in Winston-Salem on Oct. 15. For three hours the protesters rallied against Wall Street and the big banks, exposing the Bank of America’s misuse of bailout money, as well as the ongoing loss of jobs in Winston-Salem and the rest of North Carolina, where unemployment is over 10%.

First of four articles

Across the country, the movement sparked by Occupy Wall Street has caught fire. This movement, identified by the slogan, “We are the 99%” targets the 1% of rich and powerful who are running the country for their interests and profit, at the expense of the rest of us who face high unemployment, lower wages, soaring tuition costs, home foreclosures and lack of affordable health insurance. In addition, servants of Wall Street are pushing to dismantle Social Security and Medicare and to raise taxes on the poor while cutting taxes even more on the rich. They say that they have no money, but are sending bombers and troops to more and more countries, so that military spending is now the single largest expense of the federal government, costing more than $800 billion a year.