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arrests tonite at franklin + macallister
M21 an eyewitness account of events at arrest this evening
i was there when the police started arresting people.
(btw the rally tonite at powell and market was amazing. a group moment of silence, then open mike and people just started sharing so powerfully. a woman from switzerland, a man from france, a guy from central america, a very young african american woman... completely spontaneous and incredible and articulate. )
as we walked down market, police were alongside us and kept announcing on the loudspeaker that we had to 'stay on the sidewalk' or get arrested. i was part of a large group that walked from powell st to civic center, and then started walking up franklin.
theoretically the reason the police started up was because people were walking 'in the street' and not on the sidewalk. the crowd was noisy but nonviolent, there weren't a lot of blackblock people, and there were several children.
I was towards the rear of the group. people were walkiing in the street. as we turned onto franklin, suddenly a group of cops rushed the end of the march, shouting at people to get on the sidewalk. There was another group of cops at the beginning of the march so we were kind of sandwiched in. The cops were very antagonistic and clearly spoiling for drama.
I saw at least one woman get jumped by a cop at the southeast corner of the intersection. Another cop actually pulled him off of her (!) and she was able to get away.
Someone riding a bike either fell or got shoved by the cops and then they surrounded him, couldn't tell what happened next. They had a several MUNI buses full of police as well as at least one of those special jail buses so it was clear they were planning to arrest people.
We sort of milled around for a while-- the cops didn't want to let us cross the street-- and then a group decided to walk down market to the Castro. We stayed on the sidewalk, but we were noisy as all get out and eventually a couple of motorcycle cops wandered alongside us for a while. There were more busloads of cops driving along market street in the other direction so we cheerfully waved hello at them, then they seemed to get clues, turned around, and started heading in the same direction as us.
Not sure what happened later, but as of about 8pm our contingent had made it to the Castro and was headed down past the theater.
See you all tomorrow!
likethewind
(btw the rally tonite at powell and market was amazing. a group moment of silence, then open mike and people just started sharing so powerfully. a woman from switzerland, a man from france, a guy from central america, a very young african american woman... completely spontaneous and incredible and articulate. )
as we walked down market, police were alongside us and kept announcing on the loudspeaker that we had to 'stay on the sidewalk' or get arrested. i was part of a large group that walked from powell st to civic center, and then started walking up franklin.
theoretically the reason the police started up was because people were walking 'in the street' and not on the sidewalk. the crowd was noisy but nonviolent, there weren't a lot of blackblock people, and there were several children.
I was towards the rear of the group. people were walkiing in the street. as we turned onto franklin, suddenly a group of cops rushed the end of the march, shouting at people to get on the sidewalk. There was another group of cops at the beginning of the march so we were kind of sandwiched in. The cops were very antagonistic and clearly spoiling for drama.
I saw at least one woman get jumped by a cop at the southeast corner of the intersection. Another cop actually pulled him off of her (!) and she was able to get away.
Someone riding a bike either fell or got shoved by the cops and then they surrounded him, couldn't tell what happened next. They had a several MUNI buses full of police as well as at least one of those special jail buses so it was clear they were planning to arrest people.
We sort of milled around for a while-- the cops didn't want to let us cross the street-- and then a group decided to walk down market to the Castro. We stayed on the sidewalk, but we were noisy as all get out and eventually a couple of motorcycle cops wandered alongside us for a while. There were more busloads of cops driving along market street in the other direction so we cheerfully waved hello at them, then they seemed to get clues, turned around, and started heading in the same direction as us.
Not sure what happened later, but as of about 8pm our contingent had made it to the Castro and was headed down past the theater.
See you all tomorrow!
likethewind
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I was one of the arrsted at fulton and frankling. There were people btwn. mcallister and fulton on franklin an all ogot surrounded by the cops were arrested An older man was violently beat by the cops near the opera house at the very beginning at the stand off for trying to get throught the chain of police. There were four copsthat were closest to the incident. I did not see the actual beating only the man on the gorund and a bunch of fellow protesters around him. their badges: 4112, 927, 1903, 389. We need justice. Everyone at the intersection was held for almost an hour with out any given reason, totally blocked by cops. We were then told that we were being arrested for walking in the street and obstructing the side walk or somehting like that. No initial warning was given! We were simply surrounded from all sides by police( and buildings) and then arrested. This to me seemed blatantly illegal. I saw absolutely no violence on ANY of the protesters side and the only incident i saw was the one mentioned above. The plice were very disorganized as i was being led around being arrestd they were yelling between each other, telling what to do, and it seemde constanly getting in each other's way. It seemed they were simply unprepared, disorganized and really tired. We need to come with more strength tomorrow and bring only peace and love! Let's unfuck the world!
i was with a group that got arrested on hayes, between larkin and polk streets, just off market. we were all walking on the sidewalk (had no choice here - there were lines of riot cops in the street as well as across the street so stepping off would have meant getting popped.) when we go to hayes we turned up that street - not sure why now, wondering if we were lead into it by provacateurs leading us into a trap. at this point we could not stay on the sidewalk as there were 2 catering trucks parked outside the civic auditorium on the sidewalk, completely blocking it, so people had to go into the street and the cops (at first) facilitated this by making room. people then crossed over to the other side but were met w/ a line of riot pigs at polk and were essentially trapped. there were maybe a hundred (?) of us trapped there, and we were all arrested. i hear the march continued on. i just got out of pier 27 where i was held til after midnight (just in time to miss the bart - how fabulous!) some folks were taken to 850 bryant, where at least one friend of mine is still in custody. such bullshit.
it is not uncommon for the sfpd to do this kind of mass arrest. they used to do it a lot. sometimes they will say: get on the sidewalk or we'll arrest you and then as soon as everyone gets on the sidewalk they go ahead and arrest you anyway. but sometimes lawsuits can be won in these cases and you can at least get some $ out of it. keep in touch w/ the nlg. (and thank you legal support folks, for being outside the jails taking down info! and thank you food not bombs or whoever brought all the food!)
some thoughts for other demos:
-at night especially, maybe try to stay on busier streets so it's harder to get boxed in.
- wear layers w/ some warm clothes, cuz there were some cold people out at the pier and it's COLD out at midnight.
i can't think of anything else now. i'm hungry and tired.
happy equinox. it's spring, let's up the resistance!
it is not uncommon for the sfpd to do this kind of mass arrest. they used to do it a lot. sometimes they will say: get on the sidewalk or we'll arrest you and then as soon as everyone gets on the sidewalk they go ahead and arrest you anyway. but sometimes lawsuits can be won in these cases and you can at least get some $ out of it. keep in touch w/ the nlg. (and thank you legal support folks, for being outside the jails taking down info! and thank you food not bombs or whoever brought all the food!)
some thoughts for other demos:
-at night especially, maybe try to stay on busier streets so it's harder to get boxed in.
- wear layers w/ some warm clothes, cuz there were some cold people out at the pier and it's COLD out at midnight.
i can't think of anything else now. i'm hungry and tired.
happy equinox. it's spring, let's up the resistance!
oh, and i guess the deal now is that if you're arrested and then arrested again w/i 48 hours, you won't be cited and released but you'll go through the system. cops were warning people of this at the pier, and saying "don't go out again this weekend." basically falsely arresting people, then threatening their freedom to protest and assemble, and they'll probably use more false/mass arrests just to get people off the streets.
these arrests are a shame. I just wonder how one can say to fight for democracy and then let it happen. The first victim of this war (began on 9-11) has been democracy in our own countries.
I too was arrested on Franklin at McAllister.
These charges will surely be dropped: no one was ordered to stop: we were cornered and then arrested. Some notes:
[1] A few clever individuals climbed up trees to avoid the cops. Fire trucks showed up and scared the monkeys back down into the group.
[2] The police are getting tired. The officer in the back of the bus said he had worked 3 days with about 8 hours sleep and only two meals.
[3] It was getting dark, people were cold, and we had been standing around for over an hour before people started to get arrested: no one was up for 'going limp' or resisting arrest.
[4] Here is a summary of the process: Cuffed, searched, escorted to the bus, driven to Pier 27, made to stand around in cuffs for an hour, uncuffed, detained another hour or two while your court date is set and your citation written up, and finally released.
[5] The experience was uplifting (crowds of other detainees would cheer whenever a new bus of people arrived) and educational (how does the police state really function? you too should find out!).
In other news, a crowd was trapped on Kearny around 2 PM... did those people get arrested? I mananged to sneak out of that police blockade.
These charges will surely be dropped: no one was ordered to stop: we were cornered and then arrested. Some notes:
[1] A few clever individuals climbed up trees to avoid the cops. Fire trucks showed up and scared the monkeys back down into the group.
[2] The police are getting tired. The officer in the back of the bus said he had worked 3 days with about 8 hours sleep and only two meals.
[3] It was getting dark, people were cold, and we had been standing around for over an hour before people started to get arrested: no one was up for 'going limp' or resisting arrest.
[4] Here is a summary of the process: Cuffed, searched, escorted to the bus, driven to Pier 27, made to stand around in cuffs for an hour, uncuffed, detained another hour or two while your court date is set and your citation written up, and finally released.
[5] The experience was uplifting (crowds of other detainees would cheer whenever a new bus of people arrived) and educational (how does the police state really function? you too should find out!).
In other news, a crowd was trapped on Kearny around 2 PM... did those people get arrested? I mananged to sneak out of that police blockade.
The world is being fucked by capital in general and by the U.S. capitalist ruling class in particular. If we want to "unfuck the world" we have to destroy AmeriKKKan capitalism, and it won't be done with "peace and love".
Peace and love are good things in the right context, though. To (approxiamately) quote Lenin, "Peace to the [peasants'] cottages, war to the mansions!"
Peace and love are good things in the right context, though. To (approxiamately) quote Lenin, "Peace to the [peasants'] cottages, war to the mansions!"
So yeah wow, being help for just about 12 on a blatantly illegal arrest sure makes you feel great. But it did actually rock, in some ways.
1. It was like being on a strange encounter group experience, and I learned alot of nice things about fellow protestors. We raised the frequency of dialogue. I have more respect for people who I normally write off. And it felt like even more solidarity.
2. it was very diverse racially, in comparison to many of the action of day X. And it provided a rather intense generational discussion ground, with lots of older people representing a long term radical perspective that was way deeper than the newish peace folks. Props to older people who keep the faith.
3. It was enlightening to see how much the cops just don't get and how they are a bit short of a full crayolla pack in intelligence. Illegal Mass arrests are their main tactic of control.
4. I never want to hear the "Internationalle" sung ever again. I begged the gaurds to shoot me, and put me out of my misery, but alas I had to hear the other verses.
5. Cops like to sit around and eat pizza and donuts and faijitas.
6. I made a call to assbusters inc. on the free phone, boy the 850 crew is gonna get a surprise tomorrow.
whatever. I goin to sleep
1. It was like being on a strange encounter group experience, and I learned alot of nice things about fellow protestors. We raised the frequency of dialogue. I have more respect for people who I normally write off. And it felt like even more solidarity.
2. it was very diverse racially, in comparison to many of the action of day X. And it provided a rather intense generational discussion ground, with lots of older people representing a long term radical perspective that was way deeper than the newish peace folks. Props to older people who keep the faith.
3. It was enlightening to see how much the cops just don't get and how they are a bit short of a full crayolla pack in intelligence. Illegal Mass arrests are their main tactic of control.
4. I never want to hear the "Internationalle" sung ever again. I begged the gaurds to shoot me, and put me out of my misery, but alas I had to hear the other verses.
5. Cops like to sit around and eat pizza and donuts and faijitas.
6. I made a call to assbusters inc. on the free phone, boy the 850 crew is gonna get a surprise tomorrow.
whatever. I goin to sleep
thanks for sharing.
yes i think people are going to have to be craftier about route organizing. the decentralized and sponatenous thing worked on thursday, but yesterday, w/ like you said possible provacateurs around, it got messy.
the people i was with last nite were smart and basically said 'if we go to the castro the police won't bust heads in front of all the restaurants, bars, and tourists'. it worked. that and we were very careful to stay on the sidewalk.
yes i think people are going to have to be craftier about route organizing. the decentralized and sponatenous thing worked on thursday, but yesterday, w/ like you said possible provacateurs around, it got messy.
the people i was with last nite were smart and basically said 'if we go to the castro the police won't bust heads in front of all the restaurants, bars, and tourists'. it worked. that and we were very careful to stay on the sidewalk.
Based on past experience with this sort of illegal mass arrest, it's doubtful that these charges will stick in the long run. Their point is to get us off the street and scare us off for the rest of the actions by threatening heavier charges and more restrictive bail conditions. They are also trying to scare off all the less determined protesters, thereby shrinking the movement and isolating the militants. It is also a way for them to collect records on dissidents.
They will often drag these bogus court cases on and on, wasting the maximum amount of our time, energy and legal defense resources in the process. Civil suits are possible and should be pursued, but don't hold your breath for any real compensation. The cops and politicians don't care about the money they might have to pay years from now as long as they accomplish their goals this week.
The illegal mass arrest is a dimwitted police tactic and is easily countered by creative resistance. What the cops often don't understand is that throwing us all together often makes us stronger and more resolute and builds solidarity--if we take the opportunity, which so far it seems people have been doing. Keeping in good spirits, singing, chanting, doing ad hoc teach-ins and the like will make the jail experience a strengthening one. This is especially important for the newer activists for whom this might be the first arrest.
By arresting lots of us, it give us a "handle" on the cops and court system. Jail solidarity is one obvious way that we can deter them from arresting any more of us. Making a circus out of EVERY court appearance can also be incredibly fun and a great deterent to any attempts to intentionally give us the legal runaround.
One thing to consider is energy levels. If mass arrests occur at midnight after a full day's actions, no one will be in good spirits or in the mood to resist. Perhaps consider dispersing the march before it gets too late if it looks like it's dwindling in size anyway and people are getting tired. Save it for the next day when more people are on the streets to see us anyway.
Whatever we do, the way to subvert illegal mass arrests (or any other police tactic) is to show it won't work to deter us. See you in the streets!
They will often drag these bogus court cases on and on, wasting the maximum amount of our time, energy and legal defense resources in the process. Civil suits are possible and should be pursued, but don't hold your breath for any real compensation. The cops and politicians don't care about the money they might have to pay years from now as long as they accomplish their goals this week.
The illegal mass arrest is a dimwitted police tactic and is easily countered by creative resistance. What the cops often don't understand is that throwing us all together often makes us stronger and more resolute and builds solidarity--if we take the opportunity, which so far it seems people have been doing. Keeping in good spirits, singing, chanting, doing ad hoc teach-ins and the like will make the jail experience a strengthening one. This is especially important for the newer activists for whom this might be the first arrest.
By arresting lots of us, it give us a "handle" on the cops and court system. Jail solidarity is one obvious way that we can deter them from arresting any more of us. Making a circus out of EVERY court appearance can also be incredibly fun and a great deterent to any attempts to intentionally give us the legal runaround.
One thing to consider is energy levels. If mass arrests occur at midnight after a full day's actions, no one will be in good spirits or in the mood to resist. Perhaps consider dispersing the march before it gets too late if it looks like it's dwindling in size anyway and people are getting tired. Save it for the next day when more people are on the streets to see us anyway.
Whatever we do, the way to subvert illegal mass arrests (or any other police tactic) is to show it won't work to deter us. See you in the streets!
I was arrested at Hayes. That group didn't do anything illegal at all. They were herded around a truck on the sidewalk by police, and nearly immediately encircled and Commander Richard Bruce was right there.
My bus to Pier 27 took this weird route where they turned south and went south of the Bay bridge and went to a big fajita barbecue of police at Pier 26?? The piers to the south of the bridge are even numbers, and they are odd numbers to the north. Finally, 2 miles off course by this police barbecue, an officer on the bus came up and told the driver that it wasn't this pier, but pier 27. I have tinnitis from people screaming now. They clipped my skin with the bolt cutters on the plasticcuffs - which actually are not so hard to slip off. It is really intimidating with regards to showing up at another protest within two days. What happened to those people separated for having a 2nd arrest.
My bus to Pier 27 took this weird route where they turned south and went south of the Bay bridge and went to a big fajita barbecue of police at Pier 26?? The piers to the south of the bridge are even numbers, and they are odd numbers to the north. Finally, 2 miles off course by this police barbecue, an officer on the bus came up and told the driver that it wasn't this pier, but pier 27. I have tinnitis from people screaming now. They clipped my skin with the bolt cutters on the plasticcuffs - which actually are not so hard to slip off. It is really intimidating with regards to showing up at another protest within two days. What happened to those people separated for having a 2nd arrest.
This is from the sidewalk where the Hayes arrestees were herded. No one broke any laws on the march until this point, and the Special Ops commander R. Bruce was there nearly immediately.
Show up for your court date!! When I was arraigned, all of the people that showed up were cleared and released without incident and all of the people that didn't show up had warrants issued on them.
Ok, well...my roommate and I are attending the Art Institute of California - San Francisco (1170 Market St.) and we had to go into the city to pick up some things for our finals. As we made our way to our school, the protesting group decided to move from Powell and Market towards Civic Center. In effect, there were too many people in the way of our school for us to go right to it, so we decided to take a sidestreet and circle around the moving mass to get back to Civic Center. We went up Hayes. Yeah...much hilarity then ensued.
The police were just telling us to get to the sidewalk (which we were distinctly on) and we could do nothing but stand there in disbelief as the cops surrounded us in a wall of nightsticks. Now we were charged with Disobeying Police Orders and Walking in the Road...
I hope the legal action against this is going through well...I have to miss a final now due to my hearing date.
The police were just telling us to get to the sidewalk (which we were distinctly on) and we could do nothing but stand there in disbelief as the cops surrounded us in a wall of nightsticks. Now we were charged with Disobeying Police Orders and Walking in the Road...
I hope the legal action against this is going through well...I have to miss a final now due to my hearing date.
For more information:
http://stu.aii.edu/~mbs371
Ok, well...my roommate and I are attending the Art Institute of California - San Francisco (1170 Market St.) and we had to go into the city to pick up some things for our finals. As we made our way to our school, the protesting group decided to move from Powell and Market towards Civic Center. In effect, there were too many people in the way of our school for us to go right to it, so we decided to take a sidestreet and circle around the moving mass to get back to Civic Center. We went up Hayes. Yeah...much hilarity then ensued.
The police were just telling us to get to the sidewalk (which we were distinctly on) and we could do nothing but stand there in disbelief as the cops surrounded us in a wall of nightsticks. Now we were charged with Disobeying Police Orders and Walking in the Road...
I hope the legal action against this is going through well...I have to miss a final now due to my hearing date.
The police were just telling us to get to the sidewalk (which we were distinctly on) and we could do nothing but stand there in disbelief as the cops surrounded us in a wall of nightsticks. Now we were charged with Disobeying Police Orders and Walking in the Road...
I hope the legal action against this is going through well...I have to miss a final now due to my hearing date.
For more information:
http://stu.aii.edu/~mbs371
I was one of the people arrested on Franklin and Fulton on Friday afternoon. I was on the sidewalk, and the police came fast and before I knew what was happening, I was trapped with a lot of other people. So, anyways, I'm a teenager and was taken with other kids to some police station. A police officer told my parents that they announced to everyone on that block that we had to leave and you would have to be deaf to not hear it. Well I didn't hear it and now I have to go to court. My parents tell me that the judge won't believe me and I'll be found guilty and have to do community service and I won't be able to get my driver's licence until I'm 21. So I was just hoping that someone could give me some advice, or tell me what happens when you go to court and if my parents are really right. Thanks.
I was one of the people arrested on Franklin and Fulton on Friday afternoon. I was on the sidewalk, and the police came fast and before I knew what was happening, I was trapped with a lot of other people. So, anyways, I'm a teenager and was taken with other kids to some police station. A police officer told my parents that they announced to everyone on that block that we had to leave and you would have to be deaf to not hear it. Well I didn't hear it and now I have to go to court. My parents tell me that the judge won't believe me and I'll be found guilty and have to do community service and I won't be able to get my driver's licence until I'm 21. So I was just hoping that someone could give me some advice, or tell me what happens when you go to court and if my parents are really right. Thanks.
In a court, there must be some evidence of individual guilt. They would have to have a video tape of everyone standing there after a dispersal order were given. Lots of people were arrested who were just walking home and weren't part of the protest. An officer's testimony can be taken as evidence, but he would have to be able to truthfully have watched you, individually, failing to respond to an order.
At Hayes street, there definitely had not been an order to disperse, and police blocked the crosswalk and were herding people off the sidewalk. There were at least 5 Ph.Ds or doctors among just the group of people I met there, plus there were a lot of journalists, and a lawyer or two. Video and photos were being taken showing the scene.
At Hayes street, there definitely had not been an order to disperse, and police blocked the crosswalk and were herding people off the sidewalk. There were at least 5 Ph.Ds or doctors among just the group of people I met there, plus there were a lot of journalists, and a lawyer or two. Video and photos were being taken showing the scene.
After we were arrested, some people from some public interest law group were outside pier 23 having us fill out information and giving out this phone # to call to see if our charges have been dropped:
County jail #9
415.575.4418
County jail #9
415.575.4418
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