07-12-2011, 05:25 PM
C. Osborn | December 7, 2011 7:04 am
After a tense standoff with protesters at the Occupy SF encampment on Justin Herman Plaza, city officials dismantled the camp early this morning, transforming the six-week-old tent city housing hundreds of people back to its original state in a matter of hours.
The much-anticipated raid comes after weeks of the San Francisco Police Department clipping the size of Occupy SF's encampments, first by taking out a line of tents along Market Street called the Bridge, then by disbanding the original base camp outside the Federal Reserve Building.
Then, last Thursday in what the press called the Battle of the Barricades, police set up barricades along the perimeter of the camp, which created a tense situation and heightened fears of a raid.
This morning's raid started at 1:45 a.m. caught occupiers completely off-guard. Police quickly surrounded the camp before they knew what hit them. Occupiers were given five minutes to collect their belongings and leave, or face arrest.
Throughout the night, there were at least 40 arrests observed, though no official numbers were available at press time.
"I woke up and heard, raid, raid, raid,'" recounted Robert Benson. "It happened so fast."
One occupier who was arrested, William "Red" Hollis, recounted how after refusing to leave the Plaza, police threw him to the ground and rubbed his face into the pavement. He had a number of cuts and bruises on his cheek and ear. He was cited and released.
It was a tense night as protesters defied an order to get out of Market Street. They dragged tables and chairs from nearby businesses and set them up in front of the police line. Meanwhile, Department of Public Works workers dismantled the camp behind the line, tossing tents, belongings and supplies into parked garbage trucks.
James, who lived at the camp for two months, said he was in Chinatown when he say all the lights from the police vehicles. He knew something was up.
"SFPD is so indifferent about this," he said, pointing to the line of officiers, "look at them. Hundreds of people are homeless over night."
Unlike the last raid in Oakland, where police dismantled the camp on Frank Ogawa Plaza for a second, but non-violent manner, there were a number of incidents where SFPD used force against protesters.
After occupiers were dislodged from their camp, a minor scuffle broke out on Market as police officers riding dirt bikes, along with a group of riot police, chased a number of protesters around.
A few protesters grabbed at police officers on their bikes as police rode up on people, and a number of riot police used batons to pushed people back while an arrest was being made.
Police also made quick blitzes on the hundred or so people protesting on Market Street, making group arrests in the process. The first occasion police warned protesters to get onto the sidewalk, and after failing to do so, riot police quickly surrounded at least 20 protesters and arrested them.
This reporter witnessed police pushing two protesters who were on one of the sidewalks along Market Street into the street, and they were arrested along with the others.
The second time police moved on the protesters, there was no warning. As frantic protesters tried to break for the sidewalk, a few of them were pushed down onto the ground by the charging riot police; one officier used his baton to move people onto the street.
Protesters plan to have a rally at noon today outside the Ferry building, and another at 6 p.m. to determine what happens next.
After a tense standoff with protesters at the Occupy SF encampment on Justin Herman Plaza, city officials dismantled the camp early this morning, transforming the six-week-old tent city housing hundreds of people back to its original state in a matter of hours.
The much-anticipated raid comes after weeks of the San Francisco Police Department clipping the size of Occupy SF's encampments, first by taking out a line of tents along Market Street called the Bridge, then by disbanding the original base camp outside the Federal Reserve Building.
Then, last Thursday in what the press called the Battle of the Barricades, police set up barricades along the perimeter of the camp, which created a tense situation and heightened fears of a raid.
This morning's raid started at 1:45 a.m. caught occupiers completely off-guard. Police quickly surrounded the camp before they knew what hit them. Occupiers were given five minutes to collect their belongings and leave, or face arrest.
Throughout the night, there were at least 40 arrests observed, though no official numbers were available at press time.
"I woke up and heard, raid, raid, raid,'" recounted Robert Benson. "It happened so fast."
One occupier who was arrested, William "Red" Hollis, recounted how after refusing to leave the Plaza, police threw him to the ground and rubbed his face into the pavement. He had a number of cuts and bruises on his cheek and ear. He was cited and released.
It was a tense night as protesters defied an order to get out of Market Street. They dragged tables and chairs from nearby businesses and set them up in front of the police line. Meanwhile, Department of Public Works workers dismantled the camp behind the line, tossing tents, belongings and supplies into parked garbage trucks.
James, who lived at the camp for two months, said he was in Chinatown when he say all the lights from the police vehicles. He knew something was up.
"SFPD is so indifferent about this," he said, pointing to the line of officiers, "look at them. Hundreds of people are homeless over night."
Unlike the last raid in Oakland, where police dismantled the camp on Frank Ogawa Plaza for a second, but non-violent manner, there were a number of incidents where SFPD used force against protesters.
After occupiers were dislodged from their camp, a minor scuffle broke out on Market as police officers riding dirt bikes, along with a group of riot police, chased a number of protesters around.
A few protesters grabbed at police officers on their bikes as police rode up on people, and a number of riot police used batons to pushed people back while an arrest was being made.
Police also made quick blitzes on the hundred or so people protesting on Market Street, making group arrests in the process. The first occasion police warned protesters to get onto the sidewalk, and after failing to do so, riot police quickly surrounded at least 20 protesters and arrested them.
This reporter witnessed police pushing two protesters who were on one of the sidewalks along Market Street into the street, and they were arrested along with the others.
The second time police moved on the protesters, there was no warning. As frantic protesters tried to break for the sidewalk, a few of them were pushed down onto the ground by the charging riot police; one officier used his baton to move people onto the street.
Protesters plan to have a rally at noon today outside the Ferry building, and another at 6 p.m. to determine what happens next.
"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws. - Mayer Rothschild
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass