Well, yesterday was certainly exciting in Oakland. People protesting budget cuts at all levels of public education turned out en masse in downtown Oakland, at UC Berkeley, and in other locations around California and the nation. They briefly shut down I-880 in both directions.

Here's some of what Twitter was saying yesterday about the Bay Area protests:

• sake1derful: "15 year olds are getting arrested right now in Oakland for their future. What did you do today?"
• dto510: "I don't think highways deserve a pass from protests any more than downtowns do. Car taxes and spending are part of the budget mess."
• M4NOW: "Of those arrested in downtown Oakland, many were young middle and high school students." (Note: Oakland Local has not verified this claim.)
• linna02: "Vietnamese radio with the parents. Only thing I understood was UC Berkeley, Oakland, and arrests."
• Samuraiscottie: "Half of Oakland don't even go to school. How the fuck are y'all protesting? LMAO."
• egratto: "I'm supportive of protesting education cuts, but not of closing down the highway during freaking rush hour. STUPID." And: "It is a freaking MESS down here, even on surface streets. Insanity."
• thedailyclog: "Lesson of the day: Freeways are the new buildings when it comes to occupying stuff."
• DestinyThomas: "No other city takes to the streets like Oakland."

...And meanwhile, from another part of town, Turtlenose notes: "Whoa. My friend's bank in Oakland Chinatown got robbed today. Craaaaazy."

The March 4 protests -- and especially the involvement of middle/high schoolers and community colleges -- certainly worked in terms of drawing attention to education cuts. However: How do the protestors propose to fix this problem? What alternatives are they proposing? And whether or not you protested, how would YOU fix the education budget cuts? The money must come from somewhere. Please comment below.

It's great to see so much passion and energy for such an important issue. Constructive alternative proposals might help make this movement not just attention-getting, but actually effective.

EVENTS: Here are a few cool things happening in and around Oakland this weekend. For more events, see our calendar:

• Friday 6-8 pm: Photo show. Actual Cafe hosts local photographer/illustrator Eva Silverman, including her photos and posters as well as a slide show of photos taken by her father in NYC, Chicago and NJ in the 60's and 70's.
• Saturday 7:30-10 am: Greenbelt Alliance Outing: Birds in the City. Participants will observe the secret life of shorebirds, and then focus on some intrepid winter migrants as they “bird” Sutro Baths and Sutro Heights. Reservations required.
• Sunday 9am-noon: Women of WOBO: International Women of Mystery Ride. In honor of International Women's Day, take a tour around San Leandro Bay, mostly following bicycle paths that are part of the Bay Trail. The International Mystery part: bring a favorite international snack to share!