At about 10:30pm last night, around the intersection of 14th & Broadway in downtown Oakland, a crowd of thousands was having a dance party.  This was a celebration.  People of all types and ages were out together on the streets, still inspired from a day of solidarity and awe at the diversity of the coalition forming around #OccupyOakland.

After winding up in midnight clashes with riot police, the victory of yesterday was soiled with violent images in the morning news.  The peaceful demonstrations that successfully shut down the Port of Oakland have been marred by the more sensational news that happened after dark.

This will be the first in a series about the #OccupyOakland #GeneralStrike After Party on Nov. 2.   Please excuse my going through it deliberatively and step-by-step, in the hope of making sense of how a massive civil protest ended its historic day as a petty revolt.

After raising a huge banner with the word “Revolt” right in the middle of the party, some people started chanting that they had occupied a building.  Scattered amidst the crowd wearing black from shoes to ski-masks, they urged everyone to head up to 16th St. to take over the abandoned space. 

“Take a left. Take a left on 16th.”

“A building has been occupied. A vacant building has been occupied.”

“We’re going to go join it right now. It’s a building nearby.”

“Is it 16th & Broadway? What is it?”

“You’ll See”

These contemporary agitators often call themselves Black Bloc – though there is actually no such entity – after the first half of The Clash’s punk declaration Black Bloc, White Riot.  Most recently popping up in the context of anti-globalization activism, their nihilistic resistance is founded on the belief that social change won’t and doesn’t just happen.  In theory, they seek to change the world by reclaiming public space.  Some of these anarchist poseurs believe that political confrontation must inevitably resort to violence, and against private property.  They take on law enforcement on the offensive – by smashing windows, spraying graffiti, and generally initiating chaos.

Some are irredeemably angry and simply enjoy the act of destruction.

At about 10:30pm last night, around the intersection of 14th & Broadway in downtown Oakland, a crowd of thousands was having a dance party.  This was a celebration.  People of all types and ages were out together on the streets, still inspired from a day of solidarity and awe at the diversity of the ...