Occupy: What to expect in May Day "general strike" [View all]

In hundreds of cities around the world on Tuesday, protesters are taking to the streets to protest rising economic inequality as part of a "general strike" for which citizens are being encouraged to skip work and school and forgo shopping. Here's what you need to know:


What exactly is this? The May Day protests are the centerpiece of a "spring offensive" by the Occupy movement, which garnered headlines last fall after protesters set up camp in New York's Zucotti Park. The protests grew after police pepper-sprayed and arrested protesters, and Occupy encampments and protests soon erupted around the world.


By December, authorities had cleared out many of these encampments, and the movement faded from the headlines. The most committed Occupiers continued their protests, but their actions were smaller and more targeted: Infiltrations of foreclosure auctions and shareholder meetings, "sleepful protests" on Wall Street, picket lines for workers rights among them. (In some cities, such as Oakland, large protests endured.) The May Day marches, which are being held with labor and immigrants rights groups on a day that represent an effort by the movement to reinsert its message back into the national conversation.


How will it affect me? Depends. If you're interested in participating, you can learn more by checking out the main Occupy Wall Street site or the sites for marches in specific areas: New York, the Bay Area, Chicago, Southern California and Seattle among them.


If you're just looking to get to work, the protests could bring headaches. In the Bay Area, Occupiers had planned to blockade the Golden Gate Bridge from Marin to San Francisco - but those plans were cancelled on Monday. Ferry service, however, is expected to be disrupted as workers go on strike.


http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57424440-503544/occupy-what-to-expect-in-may-day-general-strike/


Poll: Has Occupy been effective for the 99%ers without specific reasons for protesting..?