March 20, 2004
Infoshop News - (San Francisco) Over 30,000 people turned out today for anti-war events and actions in downtown San Francisco. The permitted march started at Dolores Park in the Mission and wound through streets before finally converging on the Civic Center Plaza for a mass display of boring speeches and mass leftist flea market. If the ineffectiveness of ANSWER was evident today, the peace and anti-war movements showed plenty of spirit and energy today in doing their own thing. The permitted march was full of color, music, bands, and lots of signs condemning the occupation of Iraq and the Bush administration.
The march ended in the Civic Center Plaza, the traditional venue for mass anti-war rallies in San Francisco. As two police helicopters roared overhead, thousands of protesters filed into the square, where dozens of tables and booths met them. The atmosphere was more like a large leftist flea market than similar rallies this reporter has attended.
While speakers took the stage, a large crowd formed on the outside where people were drumming. The Infernal Noise Brigade band played tunes. During all of this the black bloc breakaway march formed up. The bloc numbered at least 500 people and started marching through the streets of the Tenderloin District. After about 15 minutes of marching in the streets, the bloc intersected with Market Street (between 5th and 6th streets). The bloc was stopped by the police and the police announced that the march was unpermitted. They ordered everybody off the street. While some people moved to the sidewalks, most of the crowd remained on the street in defiance of the police order violating their rights.
The police formed a riot line and started moving against the penned in bloc. At this point the black bloc charged up the street against the police lines and quickly overan the skimpy line of riot cops. More riots showed up and started using batons on protesters. The police eventually surrounded about half of the bloc and the sidewalks and streets were filled with other protesters who refused to leave the scene.
Over the next two hours, small bands of black bloc protesters roamed around the nearby sidestrets, causing the police to send riot squads after them. The black bloc and police activities snarled traffic and transit downtown for several hours.
There have been numerous reports of protesters beat up by riot police. This reporter at one point saw a police officer assault a guy with a video camera.
Check out San Francisco Indymedia for more details concerning arrests and jail solidarity.
-- Chuck0