Politics & Government
UPDATE: Local Protesters March on Port of Long Beach
Members of Occupy Redlands, which also represents Loma Linda, have joined a protest that aims to shut down the Long Beach port for a day.
UPDATE: Members of Occupy Redlands and Occupy Riverside are reporting the person arrested at the Port of Long Beach is a member of the Riverside organization. Nathan was taken into custody after a skirmish with Long Beach Police, Occupiers said. The groups identified a second person who was arrested was identified as a peace activist. Long Beach Police say two others were cited.
Redlands occupiers had been helping carry the Riverside banner but none of them have been arrested.
Members of Occupy Redlands have made their way to the Port of Long Beach to participate in a protest that aims to shut down the ports for a day.
Find out what's happening in Redlands-Loma Lindafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
And by 8:30 a.m., they reported through Facebook that at least one protester has been arrested there.
Protesters with the Occupy Wall Street movement planned to shut down ports from San Diego to Anchorage.
Find out what's happening in Redlands-Loma Lindafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Activists in Long Beach gathered at a park near the Queen Mary before 5 a.m. today before marching toward the SSA Marine terminal. SSA Marine is a shipping company 51 percent owned by Goldman Sachs, the investment banker at the heart of the Wall Street collapse of 2008 and a recipient of billions in bailouts. Activists also have complained that SSA Marine has engaged in unfair labor practices and undesirable environmental policies.
The demonstrators at the Port of Long Beach blocked part of a street leading to Pier J, prompting police to move them and detain at least one person. SSA Marine operates the Pacific Container Terminal in the 1500 block of Pier J Avenue.
Protest organizers said they hope members of the International Longshoreman Workers' Union would honor their march, treating it as a union picket line not to be crossed.
A spokesman for a group of largely Latino truck drivers who ferry containers from the docks said those non-union drivers will honor the Occupy protest line. Franklin Serrano told KVEA that the drivers know "we will lose a day's pay" but the companies affected "will lose millions in profits."
Occupy organizers said the Long Beach march would also serve to support 26 non-union truck drivers who they said were fired for wearing Teamsters jackets at port terminals, and said SSA Marine was known for being "anti- union."
No job action was announced for the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, but other Occupy marches were planned, including in San Diego, Port Hueneme in Ventura County, Hawaii and Alaska.
