Live From the SF Pro Iraq Demonstration

Original Observaton | 03/20/2003 | InABunkerUnderSF

[InABunkerUnderSF]

Greetings from high above Market Street - InAnOfficeAboveSF. The SFPD is trying their best to keep the streets open but every time the get one intersection cleared another is blocked. The people that have been arrested are being kept in a pen on the corner of Market and Sansome, across the street from the Pacific Stock Exchange. Whenever the pen gets full they load the crown onto a Muni bus and haul them off to who knows where (Guantanamo we hope).

I had to wade through the demo to get to work so stopped off at McDonalds just to support Globalization and listen to the protest for a few minutes. It was there that I heard one of the worse things I’ve ever heard in my life – several hundred people who don’t speak French trying to sing the Marseilles. How the French could support these people after what they did to the French National Anthem is beyond me.

On the way through the crow I passed by the sound system – no bull horns for these guys. I was surprised to see that some of their exhortations were pre-recorded. Must save them from getting hoarse with all the chanting. The signs were pretty tame. The chants were very tame (“No F***ing War!” Was about the toughest thing going.) It’s like all of the groups couldn’t agree on an agenda so it’s sort of a least common denominator demonstration.

SFPD has just enlarged the pen and the demonstrators have chained themselves together across Market Street. SFPD have called in the Fire Department with their power saws to cut through the chains. The demonstrators better hope none of the SFFD guys remember 9/11.

[demosthenes the elder]

well, actually, the SFFD better remember that these are leftists in San Francisco... blood spatters, and all that that implies...

[SwatTeam]

Too bad you can't blast them out with a larger sound system and the cd of "Have you Forgotten" by Darryl Worley.

[Black Agnes]

Quote...'There are no police around, this is a 'liberated' zone'. From Stockton and Grant.

[Black Agnes]

ping!

[netmilsmom]

How many of these useful idiots are there?

[Black Agnes]

Supposedly a couple hundred at several of the intersections. They've got 'human shield' updates from Iraq coming up next.

[JimRed]

Hey, are they calling the police pigs yet?

Did they ever stop?

[whenigettime]

Take cover! The hippies are back!

[L.N. Smithee]

I am in an office that the Chiraqis are as of now blockading. I was one of the last people to push my way by a handful of them before they called for reinforcements. Only about 4 or 5 were able to make it into the building before a woman working building security shrieked that they shouldn't have bullied their way inside. The small crowd of people doing their jobs shouted in return at the woman, who was carrying a walkie-talkie but not wearing anything revealing herself to be a guard.

We eventually made it to our workplaces, where it appears that many people took advantage of the threat of disruption to not come to work (either that, or they are part of the protest).

[netmilsmom]

Oh give me the strength to endure...

[Made In The USA]

I know ths sounds childish, but it's what I'm feeling right now: I hope there's some protestor-clowns outside my building preventing me from either coming to work leaving work. I'll wind up and punch them square in the face.

I don't do protests, I do a job. That's how I feed my family and pay exhorbitant taxes...

[yankeedame]

Walk past the sound system and "accidentally" stumble on the power cord and unplug it.

LOL! Yeah, and then sue!

[vikingcelt]

WHERE is Hannibal Lector when we need him? Now he knows how to deal with rude and uncivil people.

[crecy]

My sympathies. I am a long time lurker; new member. I work to west of the Embarcadero Centers and no problems over here yet. My drive to the kids' school was interrupted by a blockade at Franklin and Fell, but except for scaring the beejeezus out of my two girls, it wasn't much of an interruption. I then took MUNI from Van Ness and Market (street blocked, underground trains running), and got off at Montgomery where there was another blockade. The SFPD is doing a great job and I gave them my "thanks." It's really a thrill to see the sparks flying (literally) when those saws cut through the befuddled's arm connectors. It's even better to hear them claim this is brutality -- and blocking ambulances and fire trucks isn't? It should all settle down shortly, back to "business as usual"

[GoreIsLove]

i walked by a similar scene at 45 fremont. there's so many d*mn protestors out that the police are focusing on the ones blocking streets.

[retrokitten]

Welcome!!

[GoreIsLove]

the sfpd have been real good. i come in over the bridge and it actually took me less time then normal. the police have staked out the major intersections in advance, and arrest the fools immediately.

[Black Agnes]

They're blocking the TransAmerica building because that's where the Carlisle group is located and we all know the Carlisle group will be getting billions to rebuild Iraq. 'conspiracy theories' abound.

[Black Agnes]

AHHHHH. One of the 'solidarity groups' is 'puking for peace'! Poor cops :(.

[Saundra Duffy]

Thanks for the report. God bless you. For victory & freedom!!!