The efforts and effects of the anarchist tradition in the Bay Area cannot be ignored, neither in the case of Oscar Grant nor #OccupyOakland. There are hundreds of anarchists active in “street level” actions; hundreds more working in various corporate, non-profit, alternative, and other industries that bring money, logistical support and experience when needed; and hundreds still who are engaged in their own projects, communities and building families.

The presence of such a high concentration of anarchists at radical or potentially explosive demonstrations has influenced how people protest. To be sure, not every person at a demo is an anarchist, far from it, but many have adopted anarchist practice. Masking up, wearing black and working in teams has created a safer and more disciplined force. The attendance of anarchist street medics, propagandists, and experienced street fighters adds a level of infrastructural and logistical support that makes actions on the streets feel supported and emboldened. Traditionally organizing on egalitarian and non-hierarchical planes, as well as a familiarity with consensus process have facilitated the creation of a strong general assembly. The creation of solidarity groups for those arrested at actions and access to the legal network that years of Bay Area activism created has been key in movement progress. In both social movements, the anarchist presence has been an important, though by far not the only, element to any success.

http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20111103160704313