From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
In an unpermitted march on 3/15, the SF Police falsely arrested sidewalk marchers.
I followed the unpermitted march beginning at Jefferson Park and I was appalled at the unnecessary harassment by the SFPD.
March 15, 2003
San Francisco, CA
I followed the unpermitted march beginning at Jefferson Park and I was appalled at the unnecessary harassment by the SFPD. They swarmed throughout the march from the front, on both sides, and in the rear almost the entire way. No property destruction occurred and the protesters were completely non-violent, yet the police were ruthless in their drive to quell the constitutionally protected rights of free speech and free assembly.
The police declared the march an illegal assembly on several occasions including Mission Street at 3:45pm and at about 4:30pm on 3rd street:
"This is the SFPD. To all people now assembled on the __ block of __, this is an unpermitted march and will not be facilitated by the SFPD. All persons remaining in the street from this point onward will be subject to immediate arrest. Get on the sidewalk..."
After these orders to "get on the sidewalk," the police subsequently arrested people on the sidewalk. Some of these people were sitting down and linking arms in protest, others were attempting to disperse, some were journalists, and still others were shoppers. At the entrapment on 3rd St., I purposely decided not to get arrested and barely stepped outside the line of helmeted policemen before they blocked sidewalk movement. It wasn't so easy for many observers.
The San Fransisco police stepped outside their legal boundaries in terrorizing people who practice their constitutional rights. Such is the behavior of most hierarchical, capitalist oppressors. For me, this Saturday's protest underscored the need to set our own agenda of creative resistance instead of reacting to the agenda of the powerful elites.
San Francisco, CA
I followed the unpermitted march beginning at Jefferson Park and I was appalled at the unnecessary harassment by the SFPD. They swarmed throughout the march from the front, on both sides, and in the rear almost the entire way. No property destruction occurred and the protesters were completely non-violent, yet the police were ruthless in their drive to quell the constitutionally protected rights of free speech and free assembly.
The police declared the march an illegal assembly on several occasions including Mission Street at 3:45pm and at about 4:30pm on 3rd street:
"This is the SFPD. To all people now assembled on the __ block of __, this is an unpermitted march and will not be facilitated by the SFPD. All persons remaining in the street from this point onward will be subject to immediate arrest. Get on the sidewalk..."
After these orders to "get on the sidewalk," the police subsequently arrested people on the sidewalk. Some of these people were sitting down and linking arms in protest, others were attempting to disperse, some were journalists, and still others were shoppers. At the entrapment on 3rd St., I purposely decided not to get arrested and barely stepped outside the line of helmeted policemen before they blocked sidewalk movement. It wasn't so easy for many observers.
The San Fransisco police stepped outside their legal boundaries in terrorizing people who practice their constitutional rights. Such is the behavior of most hierarchical, capitalist oppressors. For me, this Saturday's protest underscored the need to set our own agenda of creative resistance instead of reacting to the agenda of the powerful elites.
Add Your Comments
Latest Comments
Listed below are the latest comments about this post.
These comments are submitted anonymously by website visitors.
TITLE
AUTHOR
DATE
are you sure...
Tue, Mar 18, 2003 9:57AM
"So, it's basically a mob."
Tue, Mar 18, 2003 12:34AM
Waste of Time
Tue, Mar 18, 2003 12:03AM
Ever journey to a police state begins with a step
Mon, Mar 17, 2003 2:27PM
NO, you mean the cops photo us and we photo & ID the cops too!
Mon, Mar 17, 2003 1:58AM
Police Bus
Mon, Mar 17, 2003 1:03AM
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network