The Zim cargo ship sat unloaded all day Monday at the Port of Oakland as Longshoremen refused to cross community picket lines. For a report on Sunday's blockade see here, and for the mass protest on Saturday, here. Here's a synopsis of Monday's action at the Port of Oakland from a local source.

For the third consecutive day, an Israeli ship, the Zim Pireaus, has been blockaded by Bay Area protesters in solidarity with Gaza. Never in Oakland’s history has a ship been blockaded for three days in a row, said one organizer. In the wee hours of Monday morning, with very little mobilization, a dozen or so people held a picket. With the support of longshore workers, the ship - which had already been delayed for two days at the Port of Oakland - sat unloaded. In the evening, enough people came through to create pickets. Though police officers pushed a pathway through protesters, longshore workers again refused to cross the pickets. It is yet to be determined how much the blockade has cost Israel.

Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union were unable to report to work Sunday night at SSA Marine's terminal in Oakland, Calif., due to volatility associated with a large demonstration and significant police presence at the gates of the facility. In 2005, Oakland police fired rubber bullets in similar circumstances, wounding several longshoremen who were trying to report to work. ... The ILWU has taken no position on the issue associated with the demonstration, but in cases when unsafe circumstances arise at the point of entry, the union must protect the safety of its members in the workplace. When it was ascertained that last night's demonstration and associated police presence created an unsafe environment, dispatched ILWU-represented Longshoremen and Clerks that arrived at the SSA gate to work stood by instead at a safe location away from the demonstration point.

The Longshoremen issued a statement yesterday about Sunday's goings on . The reference to the 2005 protests at the Port and the injuring of longshoremen nine years ago is perfect, for no one can argue that the Oakland Police are capable of unpredictable and deadly actions in light of that incident and more recent history.











The blockade continues this morning. When I began putting this together it was too early to tell whether it would be successful again, but it looks like the ILWU has been told to stay home for at least another shift (see the last tweets at the bottom of the diary.)

