Thousands go on strike in U.S. city Oakland
The strike, which drew people from all walks of life, including workers, teachers and students, is the first of its kind in the city since 1946, according to The Oakland Tribune, a local newspaper.
The demonstrators marched along downtown streets and held rallies, with some of them pounding on doors of downtown banks and even defacing ATMs with graffiti.
The daylong strike was generally peaceful so far though there were signs of vandalism in the afternoon as a small group of protesters smashed windows and threw paint at a Whole Foods store.
In a statement posted on the Occupy Oakland website, the organizers said they are calling for "no work and no school" on Wednesday as part of the general strike.
In addition to the support for the worldwide "Occupy" movement, the strike is also aimed at ending police attacks on local communities and defending Oakland schools and libraries, they said.
The organizers also called for the strike participants to oppose "an economic system built on colonialism, inequality and corporate power that perpetuates all forms of oppression and the destruction of the environment."
At least 15 percent of Oakland teachers took the day off to participate in the strike, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
About 5 percent of city employees called in to say they would be taking either an unpaid furlough or paid vacation day, according to the report; Kazinform cites Xinhua.
To learn more go to www.xinhuanet.com/english2010
