East Bay News Service

As the City of Oakland's Emergency Operations Center went into standby status about 3:45 a.m. today, dozens of police officers from other jurisdictions began to leave staging areas along Broadway between 17th and 20th streets. By about 4:40, the San Mateo County Sheriff's prisoner transport bus left , taking a route along Broadway to 17th Street and heading for the freeway. More than fifty police cars followed it in a convoy three blocks long and headed to their home cities.

Shortly before 5 a.m, dozens of Oakland police officers in riot gear started withdrawing from the North side of Frank Ogawa Plaza .

Several crews from the Public Works Agency loaded up trucks and a compactor with hundreds of pounds of debris, garbage and trash. They crushed chairs, carts, wooden pallets, and other large objects strewn about in a ten block area surrounding Latham Square , ground zero for last night's mayhem, at Telegraph Avenue and 16th Street .

Employees of Tully's Coffee arrived well before 5 a.m. to inventory damage to the store, including one huge broken window, and graffiti on walls and windows. A dozen other high rise buildings, including the Rotunda, the Central Building , and 1330 and 1333 Broadway, also were victims of vandalism and graffiti.

The city-owned Dalziel building suffered damage for the second time since Saturday, as vandals scrawled graffiti and smashed windows at the Oakland Police Internal Affairs and Recruiting offices. Cypress Security was also a victim.

It is probable that the special City Council meeting for 5:30 p.m. today to discuss Occupy Oakland will be cancelled. City staff will not have available by this afternoon information about last night's vandalism and violence. Threats to occupy City Hall may also be a factor.

Councilmember Jane Brunner will be absent, as she is headed to New York for the birth of her third grandchild. Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan missed Tuesday's Council meeting due to illness, and it is not known if she will be able to attend today.

Most importantly, protestors have returned this morning to disrupt maritime operations at the Port of Oakland . The Emergency Operations Center will gear up again this morning, and Mayor Jean Quan has been on the scene from morning to late night. She will probably choose to be at the command post, rather than face Council members and the public at tonight's meeting.

Council President Larry Reid needs to make the call by mid-morning today on whether to proceed or cancel today's meeting. Postponement appears to be the most prudent alternative, given the threats to public safety.

The City Council Rules and Legislation Committee meeting scheduled for today at 10:45 a.m. has been cancelled.

The Rules and Legislation Committee meeting scheduled for next Thursday, Nov. 10, at 10:45 a.m. has been cancelled. That is a mandatory business shutdown day, and most non-emegency services and offices are closed. City employees must take the day off without pay. Friday, Nov. 11 is the Veterans Day holiday.

Most city offices and services will be closed from Thursday, Nov. 10 through Sunday, Nov. 13.

All branch libraries will also be closed from Thursday, Nov. 10 through Sunday, Nov. 13. The Main Library will be closed Nov. 10 and 11.

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