A day after thousands of protesters filed into downtown Oakland,
the city was still calculating costs and assessing the outcome
of the third major demonstration in just six months.  And the
general picture was positive. Festive crowds surged through
downtown during the May Day general strike while avoiding the
worst excesses of past actions organized by Occupy Oakland.  The
streets were mostly empty by midnight instead of filled with
tear gas, blockades and police in riot gear. One melee broke out
after sunset at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza as several hundred people
surged toward police. But the flare-ups between police and
protesters were brief, and tear gas was kept to a minimum.  In
all, 39 demonstrators had been arrested as of Wednesday, police
said, mostly for "willfully delaying or obstructing law
enforcement officers in the performance of their duties."
Police arrested seven people for refusing to disperse or
unlawful assembly and several others for resisting arrest,
robbery, battery, vandalism or having an