San Francisco Police asked for the public’s help to identify the man who purposely ran down a former U.S. Marine and CalFire firefighter during a Thanksgiving morning fight in the city’s Richmond District.

Police said the suspect fought with the victim inside a Jack in the Box restaurant at the corner of Geary Blvd. and 11th Ave. in the city’s Richmond District at 2:45 a.m. but were separated by other patrons.

Courtesy San Francisco Police Dept.

The victim walked away from the restaurant to a Shell Gas Station at Geary Blvd. and 9th Ave. when the suspect retaliated by following him in his car and deliberately hitting him with it. The suspect then fled from the gas station, police said.

The unidentified 29 year-old victim was taken to San Francisco General Hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to investigators. Police said Sunday that he served as a U.S. Marine and was employed as a seasonal firefighter with CalFire.

Police described the suspect as a mixed race or Latin male between the ages of 18-24 with short black hair and a trimmed beard.

He was driving a black Mazda CX type SUV with possible front end damage from the hit-and-run incident. The vehicle had 12-spoke sport rims. Police said the suspect faces attempted homicide charges.

Anyone with information is asked to call the San Francisco Police tip line at (415) 575-4444 or text investigators by sending a message to TIP411 with the phrase “SFPD” included at the beginning.

Contact the Beat at news@californiabeat.org.

Crime Scene investigators from the Alameda County Sheriff's Office place bags of evidence collected from the Haas School of Business Tuesday night. (CALIFORNIA BEAT PHOTO)

A UCPD officer shot and killed a Cal student who brandished a gun at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business Tuesday afternoon in the first campus shooting in decades, police said.

Witnesses reported that police entered a computer lab at the business school at 2:19 p.m. and shot an unidentified man who was carrying a gun. The suspect was wounded and was taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland.

UC Police officials said Wednesday morning that the man had died from the injury. No one else was hurt in the incident.

In a text message to students, the university advised students to stay away from the area. Classes at the business school have been canceled for the rest of the day.

According to police and campus officials, a 32 year-old white male, described as 5′ 8″ tall, got into an elevator, where a woman saw a gun in his backpack. The woman, a Haas staffer, contacted police, who responded within minutes and shot the man. At least four students were in the computer lab at the time of the shooting.

All the officers present during the incident have been placed on routine administrative leave, in accordance with campus policy.

Police said they had no indication the incident was linked to Tuesday’s Occupy Cal protests. The Haas School of Business is located on the eastern edge of the campus, some distance away from the center of protest activities on campus.

Contact Steven Luo at sluo@californiabeat.org.

The union released the open letter Friday morning after a man was shot and killed in the city’s 101st homicide near the encampment Thursday evening. 

The police officer’s association said the occupation of the City Hall space was preventing officers from patrolling other parts of the crime-ridden city.

Here is the full text of the letter:

AN OPEN LETTER TO OCCUPY OAKLAND FROM THE OAKLAND POLICE OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION

November 11, 2011

On behalf of the 645 Oakland police officers we represent, this letter comes to you out of duty to protect the Oakland community and its citizens.

Oakland police officers are the 99% and we understand and sympathize with your message. We respect your right to peaceful protest.

We are also sworn to protect the citizens of Oakland. Right now, Oakland is in a state of emergency.

Our police officers are the 99% struggling in Oakland neighborhoods every day to contain the 1% who rob, steal, rape and murder our law-abiding citizens. The Occupy Oakland protest, now 30 days old, is taking our police officers out of Oakland neighborhoods and away from protecting the citizens of Oakland.

In an average city in California, this might not be of emergency proportions for its citizens. Oakland is not an “average” city – we have the highest violent crime rate in California. We are the 5th most violent city in the United States – with more shootings and homicides than any city west of the Mississippi.

Last night’s murder, right in the epicenter of Occupy Oakland, is unacceptable. So is the violence being promoted by “renegade” protesters who are lighting firebombs, destroying property and attacking police.

What is even more tragic is that homicides are a frequent occurrence in Oakland. This is the real emergency: Yesterday’s murder was Oakland’s 101st homicide of 2011. It is time for us to stop directing all of our efforts at policing the small enclave of “Occupy Oakland” and get back to our job of protecting the citizens of Oakland in the neighborhoods where our residents live.

The events of recent weeks have shown that many occupiers at Frank Ogawa Plaza are citizens of other communities with limited interest in preserving the greater good and safety of our City.

Please, we ask you: Leave Frank Ogawa Plaza peacefully and immediately so Oakland Police can get back to work fighting the devastating crime that’s occurring in our neighborhoods.

You have sent the world a strong message; now it is time to go home. Your leaving today, peacefully, of your own free will, on the 30th day, will send a message to Oakland that you care about our citizens and respect our city.

With last night’s homicide, in broad daylight, in the middle of rush hour, Frank Ogawa Plaza is no longer safe. Please leave peacefully, with your heads held high, so we can get police officers back to work fighting crime in Oakland neighborhoods.

Thank you.

Contact the Beat at news@californiabeat.org.

Alameda County Sheriff's Deputies and UC Police protect Sproul Hall. (CALIFORNIA BEAT PHOTO)

Dozens of riot-gear clad police officers prevented an Occupy Wall Street campsite from forming in front of the UC Berkeley administration building Wednesday during a day-long series of protests by students who said they were fighting double-digit tuition increases in the University of California system.

UC Police and sheriff’s deputies from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office arrested 39 Occupy Cal protesters, seven from an afternoon raid of the campsite, and 31 more during a contentious nighttime skirmish between an estimated crowd of more than 1,000 protesters. 

Campus police officers cleared a lawn area in front of Sproul Hall where students who identified with the Occupy Wall Street movement had planned to set-up their own tent city in protest of UC tuition hikes. Police raided the site in the early afternoon, provoking allegations from protesters that the officers were too heavy handed when they attempted to clear the lawn of students.

The first raid proved to be unsuccessful after several protesters replaced tents that were confiscated by police.

In a meeting with protest organizers, UC Berkeley Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Harry Le Grande warned the group that they were allowed to peacefully assemble but ordered that participants not set up tents, sleep at the site or occupy the area.

Protesters rejected Le Grande’s offer in a General Assembly vote.

The university ordered police into the campsite at 9 p.m. to clear six tents that had been set up, but the confrontation evolved into a violent melee between law enforcement and some protesters who refused to clear the site. Police ended up arresting 31 protesters for a variety of charges, according to UC Police.

Those arrested were taken to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin for processing, police said.

By midnight, police reduced their presence significantly and allowed a group of almost 1,000 protesters was to assemble on the front steps of Sproul Hall to plan additional protests, including a demonstration against tuition hikes planned for the Nov. 17 UC Board of Regents meeting at UCSF’s Mission Bay campus.

Beat Reporter Steven Luo contributed to this story. Contact the Beat News Service at news@californiabeat.org.

The Beat expects that Avalos will not receive enough of the remaining votes to overcome the deficit. Lee received 61 percent of the vote in the eleventh round of allocations in the city’s first ranked choice vote for Mayor. Avalos recieved 39 percent.

Lee declared victory during a City Hall press conference Wednesday afternoon.

“I think the latest report shows that the voters of San Francisco want four more years of what we’ve been doing,” Lee said. “The numbers are fairly accurate right now, and I’m confident that we can use the word victory right now.”

Incumbent San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon will also hold onto his post after opening a wide lead over second-choice candidate David Onek.

Gascon has recieved 64 percent of vote allocations; Onek has 36 percent.

In the race for San Francisco Sheriff, Ross Mirkarimi holds a 7,000 vote lead over second-choice candidate Paul Miyamoto with ballots remaining to be counted.

Contact the Beat at news@californiabeat.org.

0159 PDT: We need to make one correction: we had the No and Yes totals for Prop. D, the Jeff Adachi-backed pension reform measure, reversed — 66% of voters said no to the measure.

With that correction made, the California Beat now estimates that Prop. C, the pension reform measure backed by Ed Lee and public employee unions, has passed and will take effect.

0135 PDT: One last note: as it stands, John Avalos needs 63% of ballots from candidates who finish below him to transfer his way in order to overtake Ed Lee in the ranked-choice tabulation.

Keep in mind, though, that voters were only allowed to rank three candidates in a race with at least twice as many legitimate candidates, so there will be a significant number of ballots where all three choices have been eliminated (“exhausted” ballots). For reference, of the roughly 50,000 ballots in the last Oakland mayoral election which did not indicate Jean Quan or Don Perata as their first preference, 28% did not rank Quan or Perata in their preferences at all, while 49% eventually transferred to Quan and 23% to Perata.

In the other SF races, David Onek needs 78% of ballots for other candidates to transfer his way in order to overtake George Gascon in the DA’s race, while Chris Cunnie needs 64% of ballots to transfer his way to overtake Ross Mirkarimi in the sheriff’s race. With fewer candidates in those races, there will be fewer exhausted ballots.

0109 PDT: A quick update of San Mateo County election results before we wrap up for the night: a parcel tax measure for the Pacifica School District is now ahead of the 2/3 threshold, with 69% of voters in support, while a similar measure in the Burlingame School District has increased its support to 68%.

2330 PDT: To recap what’s happened so far tonight:

• Appointed incumbents Ed Lee and George Gascon hold leads in first preference votes in the San Francisco mayor’s and district attorney’s races, but neither has cleared the 50% + 1 barrier required to be elected. Ranked choice results will determine the outcome of both elections, with the first results expected tomorrow at 4 p.m.
• Both of San Francisco’s dueling pension reform measures appear to have the support of voters, but Ed Lee-backed Prop. C appears to be on track to finish with more Yes votes than Prop. D. The measure with the greatest number of Yes votes will take effect.
• 20 of the 25 tax and bond measures before Bay Area voters have passed or are leading tonight, though a 0.5% sales tax increase in San Francisco has gone down to defeat.

2320 PDT: To wrap up our roundup of local measures, all tax and bond measures before voters in Marin County are leading tonight:

• A school bond measure in the Larkspur-Corte Madera School District is easily clearing the 55% threshold for passage, while a measure which would renew Tamalpais Union High School District’s existing parcel tax is passing with 72% support (it needs 2/3 for passage).
• A sales tax measure in Fairfax is passing easily, receiving 64% support (majority support required).
• Parcel taxes to support emergency services in Corte Madera, Lucas Valley County Service Area No. 13, and the Santa Venetia-Bayside Acres Fire Protection District are all well above the 2/3 majority required for passage, while a fire protection parcel tax in the Marinwood Community Services District is barely clearing the threshold at 66.8%.

2312 PDT: Continuing our roundup of local measures from around the Bay:

• Hotel taxes in Cupertino and Pittsburg are passing easily.
• In Lafayette, a parcel tax to pay for road and drain repairs looks to be well short of the 2/3 requirement, receiving 58% support from voters.
• Palo Alto voters are approving the elimination of the requirement that contract disputes with public safety workers be settled by binding arbitration, with 67% of voters in favor of the measure (a majority vote is required for passage).

2300 PDT: With 66% of precincts reporting, San Mateo County voters appear to be in a less generous mood: school bonds for the San Mateo Community College District and San Bruno Park School District are below the 55% threshold needed for passage, while a Millbrae School Distict bond measure holds 58% support.

Business license tax measures in Redwood City and Burlingame are ahead by sizable margins, while a parcel tax for Burlingame School District is at 67% support — barely above the 2/3 threshold required for passage — and a Pacifica School District parcel tax is just below the 2/3 threshold.

Hotel tax measures in Foster City and Redwood City are passing easily.

2250 PDT: Election night final results from Alameda County show all three tax and bond measures before voters leading. Emeryville Measures C and D, which would increase taxes on businesses, are receiving the support of 81% and 79% of voters, respectively. Newark USD Measure G, a $63 million school bond measure, is clinging to a 56-44 lead; the measure needs 55% support to pass.

2245 PDT: Two more projections: the California Beat estimates that San Francisco Prop. E, which would allow the mayor and Board of Supervisors to repeal initiatives approved by the voters, has gone down to defeat, while Prop. F, which would make various changes to the city’s campaign consultant regulations, has also been defeated. Prop. E is opposed by 67% of voters, while Prop. F is opposed by 56%; both measures needed majority support to pass.

The California Beat does not expect to issue any further projections on San Francisco elections tonight.

2232 PDT: The Beat also estimates that San Francisco Prop. G, which would raise sales taxes by half a percentage point to help fund city programs, will go down to defeat. 54% of voters are opposing Prop. G, while the measure needs two-thirds support to pass.

2230 PDT: The California Beat now estimates that, with the vast majority of votes now counted, San Francisco’s Prop. A, which would allow the school district to issue $531 million in bonds to fund facilities improvements, has passed. The measure is currently receiving 71% support, and needs 55% to pass.

2220 PDT: The battle over San Francisco’s school assignment system is set to go down to the wire: Prop. H, which would favor placing students in schools in their neighborhoods, now leads by just 1,989 votes out of more than 135,000 cast.

2216 PDT: Ed Lee’s lead in first preferences in the San Francisco mayoral race continues to shrink: he now holds 31% of the vote, compared to 19% for John Avalos and 11% for Dennis Herrerra, with all other candidates drawing less than 10%.

2213 PDT: All precincts in San Francisco are now reporting. The California Beat estimates that 87% of all votes are now counted; assuming similar turnout to the last mayoral election in 2007, approximately 20,000 votes remain to be counted. Most of those votes will be absentee ballots turned in at a polling station on election day or provisional ballots.

2212 PDT: In the latest numbers, San Francisco DA George Gascon’s lead also slips slightly, though he still holds a 20-point lead over challengers David Onek and Sharmin Bock in first preference votes. Meanwhile, sheriff’s office hopeful Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi’s lead increases — he now holds 38% of the vote, compared to 28% for Chris Cunnie (who moves into second) and 27% for Paul Miyamoto.

2207 PDT: New numbers just in from the SF Department of Elections show Ed Lee’s lead in first-choice votes in the mayoral race continuing to erode. He now holds 32% of first-choice votes, with second-placed Supervisor John Avalos up to 18%.

2200 PDT: San Francisco’s Prop. H, which would change the school district’s current method of assigning pupils to schools to favor placing students in schools near their homes, has seen its support erode. It’s now backed by 53% of voters, down from 58% in the initial returns.

2155 PDT: In the continuing battle between the dueling pension reform measures, Prop. C’s lead over Prop. D is shrinking. The Lee-backed Prop. C holds support from 69% of voters, while Adachi’s Prop. D is receiving support from 65% of voters. The measure with the most votes will take effect.

2154 PDT: If the percentages remain where they currently are throughout the night, ranked-choice voting will play a significant factor in the outcome. John Avalos needs roughly two-thirds of the vote for candidates in third place or below to transfer his way in order to beat Ed Lee; by comparison, Jean Quan saw nearly 75% of all non-exhausted ballots transfer her way in the final ranked-choice tally which elected her over Don Perata.

2147 PDT: Meanwhile, Ross Mirkarimi opens up a lead in the sheriff’s race, with 36% compared to 28% each for Paul Miyamoto and Chris Cunnie. District Attorney George Gascon’s lead shrinks slightly — he now holds 44% of the vote. David Onek trails with 21%, with Sharmin Bock dropping to third at 20%.

2145 PDT: The Beat now estimates that about two-thirds of the expected vote is now in. We expect approximately 50,000 ballots remain to be counted.

2143 PDT: With initial results from precincts in, Mayor Ed Lee’s lead drops from 40% to 33%. John Avalos, meanwhile, goes from 11% to 17%. Dennis Herrera remains the only other candidate in double digits.

2135 PDT: San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, in a speech to supporters, acknowledges that he holds a large lead in the race, but says “I want to make sure all the votes are counted.” Lee says the vote provides “strong indications” that voters “want what we have been doing,” and says that becoming the first elected Chinese-American mayor opens “a new chapter” in San Francisco’s history.

2115 PDT: Both of the dueling pension reform measures are passing in early returns, with Ed Lee and union-backed Prop. C receiving 68% support, while Jeff Adachi’s Prop. D is receiving the backing of 61% of voters. If both measures pass (which appears likely), the one with the most votes will take effect.

2110 PDT: The California Beat estimates, based upon historical turnout data, that the initial returns in San Francisco represent approximately 40% of the final vote totals. Assuming turnout similar to the last mayoral race in 2007 (about 35%), we expect roughly 100,000 votes remain to be counted.

2100 PDT: In the District Attorney’s race, appointed incumbent George Gascon leads with 48% of the vote, with Sharmin Bock trailing at 21%. Ross Mirkarimi, Paul Miyamoto, and Chris Cunnie are all close in the sheriff’s race, with about 30% of the vote.

2055 PDT: Initial vote-by-mail returns from San Francisco are in, with Ed Lee holding nearly 40% of the vote and challengers John Avalos and Dennis Herrera the only other candidates in double digits.

Contact Beat Political Director Steven Luo at sluo@californiabeat.org.

Occupy Oakland protesters clean graffiti off a wall at Frank Ogawa Plaza. (CALIFORNIA BEAT PHOTO)

City merchants, maintenance crews and Occupy Oakland protesters picked up scrub brushes and dust pans to clean up what became a violent clash between anarchists and police Wednesday morning that led to 80 arrests.

Police from several Bay Area law enforcement agencies lobbed tear gas at the anarchists after they were pelted with rocks, bottles and a homemade shield, interim Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan said Thursday. 

The clash marred what was described as a peaceful general strike day of action in Oakland, where an estimated 10,000 people participated in marches around the city and forced a complete shutdown of the Port of Oakland.

But by nightfall, the peaceful mood turned into a free-for-all after some protesters, singled out by Jordan as members of the Black Bloc anarchist group, began breaking storefront windows in Downtown Oakland and lighting fires to keep police away.

Protesters also took over the abandoned Traveller’s Aid building on 16th Street in Downtown Oakland.

Jordan said the decision by protesters to seize the building forced him to send in 400 riot-gear clad police officers to detain 80 protesters whom the police chief described as instigators of the violence.

On Thursday, the damage to the building was evident: all of the interior and exterior walls were marked with Occupy Wall Street graffiti, and protest signage littered the floor. Outside, maintenance crews crouched under plastic tarp as they covered graffiti left by protesters.

“Now is not a good time,” an unidentified woman said as she locked a rolling gate to keep reporters away from the building.

Remnants of graffiti were seen throughout the downtown area. Some Occupy Oakland protesters were seen helping work crews scrub off messages covering walls and windows of many storefronts.

By mid-afternoon, steady rain began falling on the Frank Ogawa Plaza campsite, forcing many Occupy Oakland protesters back into their tents in front of City Hall.

Asked whether weather would force them to pick-up the camp and leave, Occupy Oakland protesters said they would hold firm.

“Nope,” a protester said. “Rain or shine, we’ll be out here.”

Contact the Beat at news@californiabeat.org.

• FULL STORY: Thousands protest in Occupy Oakland general strike, shutting down port
• PHOTOS: Before the raid, inside Occupy Oakland’s City Hall camp
• RELATED: Oakland Police Officer’s Association Open Letter on Mayor’s “mixed messages”

This was our live coverage of Wednesday’s Occupy Oakland General Strike. You can follow instantaneous updates by following @californiabeat on Twitter and react immediately to developments on our Facebook page. Send your photos and contributions to our coverage by e-mailing news@californiabeat.org.

0129 PDT UPDATE: At least 40 people have been detained near 15th and Broadway Sts. Large contingents of police officers and sheriffs deputies from various agencies are maintaining skirmish lines around a small group of protesters at Frank Ogawa Plaza.

There are reports of an injury to a man who sustained a wound to his leg and was hurried into the Occupy Oakland medical tent for treatment. It was unclear how he was injured.

0106 PDT UPDATE: Still a large police presence in Downtown Oakland monitoring crowd of protesters who are taunting officers. There are reports that officers have arrested some people. There are officers from throughout Contra Costa, San Mateo and Alameda County providing mutual aid.

0023 PDT UPDATE: Multiple explosions — presumably from M-80 firecrackers set off by protesters — and dumpster fires have sprouted in several parts of Downtown Oakland. The Oakland Fire Dept. is attempting to douse some of the blazes set by protesters but have been unable to reach other fires because of the large crowds.

Hundreds of police officers wearing riot gear have fired volleys of tear gas towards protesters in an attempt to raid the occupied Travelers Aid building.

Thursday, November 3; 0007 PDT UPDATE: We clarify: no tear gas deployed by police. Smoke was coming from burning dumpsters as part of Occupy Oakland blockade on 16th Street. There’s a large police presence that has declared the building occupation unlawful. Officers are threatening to use tear gas to disperse the crowd and enter the building.

2253 PDT UPDATE: Police and sheriffs deputies from several Bay Area agencies are responding to the occupied Travelers Aid building at 16th and Broadway Sts. Reporters on the ground tell the Beat that dozens of officers have set up a skirmish line at 17th and Broadway Sts. No arrests have been made yet.

2306 PDT UPDATE: Protesters in Downtown Oakland have taken over the Travelers Aid building near 16th & Broadway Streets are are occupying the foreclosed property. It is the first building takeover of the movement. Protesters say they want to turn the building into a library and shelter for Occupy Oakland campers.

2200 PDT UPDATE: The Port of Oakland says it will not resume operations until it is safe to do so tomorrow morning. Mayor Jean Quan said at a 9:30 PM news conference that this has been a “good day for demonstrators and the 99%”.

A growing line of trucks is waiting on West Grand Ave. to get into the Port of Oakland. Photo:

A line of trucks waiting to enter the Port of Oakland.

2125 PDT UPDATE: On the flip side, here’s a photo of a protester helping a KPIX-TV van trapped near 3rd and Adeline out of the crowd:

A protester helping a KPIX-TV van trapped in a crowd find its way out.

2120 PDT UPDATE: KTVU-TV is reporting that Highland Hospital has said that the protesters hit by a car in Downtown Oakland earlier have non-life-threatening injuries.

2105 PDT UPDATE: Photos of the barricade at 3rd and Adeline, and of protesters climbing on a KRON-TV van:

2055 PDT UPDATE: About 200 protesters have set up a metal barricade at 3rd and Adeline and are blocking traffic. Several news vans are trapped and trying to work their way out.

2030 PDT UPDATE: Traffic is once again flowing into and out of the Port of Oakland, with longshoremen cheering the arrival of trucks into the port. Police are leaving the area.

2000 PDT UPDATE: A pedestrian has been hit by a car, possibly intentionally, at the intersection of 11th and Broadway in Downtown Oakland, the Beat has learned.

1920 PDT UPDATE: Many protesters are now headed back towards downtown from the Port of Oakland.

1855 PDT UPDATE: The Beat now estimates the crowd at 15,000, with more protesters streaming towards the Port of Oakland.

1830 PDT UPDATE: Multiple police units — including units from outside the county — are now headed towards the Port of Oakland, the Beat has learned.

1815 PDT UPDATE: A picture from the marching crowd at the Port of Oakland:

Occupy Oakland protesters marching at the Port of Oakland.

1800 PDT UPDATE: A crowd is now marching at Maritime and 7th Sts near the Port of Oakland.

1755 PDT UPDATE: Many truckers are angry at the protesters, saying that they are paid by the load and that this protest hurts them. The maritime section of the Port of Oakland is now closed, and the port is appealing to protesters to allow workers to leave.

1725 PDT UPDATE: Some photos of protesters blocking traffic at the Port of Oakland:

A man sits in front of a truck at the Port of Oakland.

1700 PDT UPDATE: Protesters have now blocked many of the exits to the Port of Oakland, and trucks are being forced to turn around.

1635 PDT UPDATE: Here are some photos of this afternoon’s protests in Downtown Oakland:

Occupy Oakland protesters at 14th and Broadway in Downtown Oakland.

Occupy Oakland protesters march through Downtown Oakland towards 14th and Broadway.

Shattered windows at the Chase branch at 20th and Webster in Downtown Oakland.

Graffiti at Whole Foods on 27th and Oakland Ave.

1630 PDT UPDATE: A large crowd has crossed over 980 on 14th St heading towards the Port of Oakland.

1610 PDT UPDATE: A crowd is now moving towards the Port of Oakland, which they hope to shut down.

Earlier, protesters moved through downtown Oakland in a peaceful, but chaotic fashion, with the crowd splitting at several intersections as group leaders tried in vain to keep protesters together.

Several incidents of vandalism did occur, with broken windows at the Chase Bank at 20th and Webster in Downtown Oakland and the Bank of America branch at Kaiser Center, and spray paint to several buidlings including the Whole Foods at 27th and Oakland Ave.

1314 PDT UPDATE: After several marches and protests in front of bank branches in Downtown Oakland, the crowd has reassembled at Frank Ogawa Plaza. A group of UC Berkeley students from the Occupy Cal movement has marched down Telegraph Avenue to join the Occupy Oakland demonstrators.

Police said the demonstrations have been peaceful with no violence and no arrests made.

There is a severe traffic impact to Downtown Oakland streets due to the demonstration.

1015 PDT UPDATE: Thousands of people have crowded the streets of Downtown Oakland as part of the Occupy Oakland General Strike closing numerous intersections, including 14th & Broadway Sts. Among those seen in the crowd of the “99 percent” protesting inequity and corporate excess, members of nurses, teachers and longshoreman unions, who backed the General Strike.

AC Transit has rerouted over two dozen bus routes away from the intersection. A complete list of reroutes and missed bus stops is found here. The Oakland Unifed School District estimates that over 200 teachers did not show up for work today in solidarity with the General Strike. The District said substitute teachers were being brought in to replace the absent faculty members.

Morning commuters on BART said they were seeing train cars full bringing students and workers into Downtown Oakland for the protest. An earlier report about the closure of the Port of Oakland because of the strike was later deemed erroneous.

In a statement issued Wednesday morning, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan backed the strike, but said, “but it is our duty to prioritize public safety.”

“Many Oaklanders will not be participating in today’s events, even if they may support the overall goals of those demonstrating,” Quan said. “We must make sure that those who have to go to work and keep their businesses open are able to do so.”

This live blog is maintained by the Beat News Service. Check back frequently for updates.

E-mail the update desk at news@californiabeat.org.

Occupy Oakland protesters marching toward the Port of Oakland. (Jennifer Courtney / CALIFORNIA BEAT)

More than 10,000 protesters filled the streets of Oakland Wednesday, marching, chanting, and demanding a better deal for ordinary people as part of a general strike called by the Occupy Oakland movement.

After marching through Downtown Oakland in the afternoon, stopping in front of branches of several large banks to protest, thousands moved toward the Port of Oakland, blocking truck traffic into and out of the area and effectively shutting one of the busiest ports on the U.S. West Coast.

Although chaotic — more than once, a protest march divided in two as protesters could not agree on one direction to march in — the demonstrations were largely peaceful until late in the evening, when dozens of protesters were arrested in Downtown Oakland.

• PHOTO GALLERY: Occupy Oakland general strike
• AS IT HAPPENED: Live blog of Occupy Oakland general strike
• RELATED: Inside Occupy Oakland’s City Hall camp

Windows were broken at branches of large banks including Chase and Bank of America, and buildings, including the Whole Foods Market at 27th and Oakland Ave., were vandalized.

As protesters marched to the Port of Oakland, swarms of police officers from around the Bay Area arrived, but mostly kept their distance. The blockade of the roads leading to the port prevented some port workers from leaving for hours and frustrated truckers, who said they would suffer financially from delays to their loads.

Diverse crowd has diverse reasons for protesting

The strike and protest, which caused many Oakland businesses to close for the day or send their employees home early, drew protesters from all walks of life — though their reasons for participating were as diverse as the crowd itself.

Dan, an Oakland resident who attended the protest in an SEIU Local 1026 T-shirt, said he was there to “support the 99%” and “show our frustration” with “corporate America.” “I hope it gets the message out to corporate America” to stop the “greed” and create good jobs with health benefits and job security, he said.

But Oakland resident Kas had a different view. The only public places in this age are “consumer places” such as shopping malls, she said, and hoped the Occupy movement would “create solidarity” between people from different social circles.

Meanwhile, Mandy Cohen, a UC Berkeley graduate student, was there to oppose public education cuts and student tuition hikes. Education is a “public good,” she said, adding that “money should not be running our system.” The Occupy movement “shares a message” with her cause and has “found a really powerful way to express their opinion,” she said.

If there was one thing which protesters could agree on, it was that violence and vandalism were not a solution.

Breaking windows “does not help build the kind of movement we need,” said Joel Britton of the Socialist Workers Party, who hoped the Occupy movement could build support for a federal job creation program.

A sign was taped to a shattered window at the Chase branch at 20th and Webster Streets in Downtown Oakland reading “We are better than this.”

Kas, though, was more ambivalent about the vandalism. “I’m a little upset” by the vandalism, she said, but said that the idea was “not wrong per se.”

Mayor Quan praises protesters, but draws fire from all sides

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan praised the mostly peaceful protests, calling it a “good day for demonstrators and the 99%.” That, however, did not stop the criticism of her handling of the Occupy Oakland protests from pouring in from all sides.

Downtown Oakland merchants complained that the continuing occupation of Frank Ogawa Plaza was hurting business, with many saying the plaza should have stayed open after it was cleared in a police raid last week.

But protesters, still angry about the raid, in which tear gas was used and a military veteran was critically injured, were observed carrying anti-Jean Quan signs during protest marches Wednesday.

The message, posted on the Oakland Police Officers’ Association website, claims that rank-and-file officers are receiving no direction from the Mayor’s office about what to do during a citywide general strike set to occur on Wednesday.

Here is the letter, posted here in its entirety:

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CITIZENS OF OAKLAND FROM THE OAKLAND POLICE OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION

1 November 2011 – Oakland, Ca.

We represent the 645 police officers who work hard every day to protect the citizens of Oakland. We, too, are the 99% fighting for better working conditions, fair treatment and the ability to provide a living for our children and families. We are severely understaffed with many City beats remaining unprotected by police during the day and evening hours.

As your police officers, we are confused.

On Tuesday, October 25th, we were ordered by Mayor Quan to clear out the encampments at Frank Ogawa Plaza and to keep protesters out of the Plaza. We performed the job that the Mayor’s Administration asked us to do, being fully aware that past protests in Oakland have resulted in rioting, violence and destruction of property.

Then, on Wednesday, October 26th, the Mayor allowed protesters back in – to camp out at the very place they were evacuated from the day before.

To add to the confusion, the Administration issued a memo on Friday, October 28th to all City workers in support of the “Stop Work” strike scheduled for Wednesday, giving all employees, except for police officers, permission to take the day off.

That’s hundreds of City workers encouraged to take off work to participate in the protest against “the establishment.” But aren’t the Mayor and her Administration part of the establishment they are paying City employees to protest? Is it the City’s intention to have City employees on both sides of a skirmish line?

It is all very confusing to us.

Meanwhile, a message has been sent to all police officers: Everyone, including those who have the day off, must show up for work on Wednesday. This is also being paid for by Oakland taxpayers. Last week’s events alone cost Oakland taxpayers over $1 million.

The Mayor and her Administration are beefing up police presence for Wednesday’s work strike they are encouraging and even “staffing,” spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars for additional police presence – at a time when the Mayor is also asking Oakland residents to vote on an $80 parcel tax to bail out the City’s failing finances.

All of these mixed messages are confusing.

We love Oakland and just want to do our jobs to protect Oakland residents. We respectfully ask the citizens of Oakland to join us in demanding that our City officials, including Mayor Quan, make sound decisions and take responsibility for these decisions. Oakland is struggling – we need real leaders NOW who will step up and lead – not send mixed messages. Thank you for listening.

Contact the Beat at news@californiabeat.org.