writer 0 2006-12-11T00:00:00Z It was 7 a.m. on a cold, rainy day in the heart of downtown Oakland, California, sixty years ago this month, the prelude to one of the very few general strikes in American history. Dozens of strikers were gathered outside the city's two main department stores, picket signs held high, loudly demanding union contracts. Suddenly, some 200 Oakland and Berkeley police, many in riot gear, swe... Dick 25536 false false false false 2006-12-11T00:00:00Z Meister 11601 2553 0 1 Oakland General Strike dancing-in-the-rain-the-oakland-general-strike-by-dick-meister Dancing in the Rain: The Oakland General Strike 2009-09-24T08:53:58Z 157