Occupy general strike could hurt small businesses

Tension was building in Oakland Tuesday night as the Occupy movement prepared for Wednesday's planned general strike that some argued would hurt  local small businesses.

Occupy Oakland has made its goal clear on these flyers being passed out in downtown Tuesday evening: shut down the city.

The push for the general strike was leaving some business owners facing a tough decision.

Oakland is not Wall Street. The big banks found downtown have headquarters elsewhere.

Clorox is here, but many of the businesses within a stone's throw of Frank Ogawa Plaza are small mom-and-pop operations like Uncle Willie's BBQ.

"We support the cause, but we have family we have to feed and stuff so we need the business," said Craig Jones, who works at Uncle Willie’s.

One Vietnamese restaurant in the neighborhood planned to close Wednesday, but KTVU found a burrito stand that would be remaining open.

President of the Oakland Chamber Of Commerce Joe Haraburda said some businesses feel intimidated by Occupy protestors.

"If you're part of the 99 percent which i think all of us are, you're hurting people in town," said Haraburda.

He blamed the movement for killing three Oakland business deals.

"One with 38,000 square feet pulled out of a deal. One with 100 employees pulled out of a deal. Another with 15,000 square feet pulled out of a deal," explained Haraburda.

The Port of Oakland is the nation's fifth busiest and also on the Occupy's list of targets for a blockade during Wednesday's demonstration.

 "Of our seven marine terminals, we've heard from one of them they decided to shut down for tomorrow," said Isaac Kos of the Port of Oakland. "And in their announcement there was some reference to the November 2nd action."

Vern Smith shines shoes at a barber shop in the Oakland Hills. He's just worried about getting home downtown through a crowd he said can be threatening.

"I gotta work. I'm on SSI," said Smith. "I'm like the average joe."

KTVU didn't find a single business owner who is against the overall message from the occupy movement.

Some simply questioned why small, local businesses have to suffer to make a point about big Wall Street corporations.