San Francisco: roving, mobile Black Blocs shut down Financial area

national | miscellaneous | news report Thursday March 20, 2003 22:57 by Guernica Unveiled

FUCK SHIT UP NOW!

Highly mobile black blocs have the pigs at a disadvantage. They are converging, separating and then reconverging. Protests are scheduled to go on through the night. Police are trying to control the crowds and catch the Black Blocs using horses and motorbikes.

* 2 NOON Civic Center March: Major march to leave from Civic Center. Also, flyers circulating today say a breakaway will happen sometime during this march, with re-convergence at Powell & Market at 5pm when people get split up. complete list of reconvergences
* 5 PM: Reconvergence at Powell & Market.
* 9 PM: Reconvergence at Powell & Market.
* MIDNIGHT: Jail solidarity at 850 Bryant. Also protest reconvergence at 7th & Market.
* ALL DAY: Bike riders are encouraged to ride through the city supporting the different protests. all-day bike protest
* INTO THE NIGHT: Plan to stay out all night. Re-convergences are called for 7pm, 9pm and midnight. Locations will be announced at the 5pm reconvergence at Powell & Market.

* BREAKING NEWS:
* 1:38PM: 200 Black Bloc surrounded at 7th & Market about to get arrested. We are hearing reports of people trying to break into the federal building, there is a window broken.
* 1:30PM: Crowd is getting rowdy at 7th & Market. One cop down.
* 1:16PM: 2000 strong march is headed towards financial district, with Black Bloc in the lead. Fire hydrant opened at Market & 8th.
* 12:46PM: Black Bloc forming at Polk & Grove
* 12:42PM: Appears to be a mass arrest happening soon at 7th & Market. Police are pushing people down Market towards Civic Center. Protesters are still at Market & Kearny and Market & Montgomery. There is a large police presence at Federal Building. Police have rubber bullets and pepper spray loaded - 90 police and hundreds of protesters.
* 11:39AM: Fruitvale BART closed due to protests in Oakland.
* 11:35AM: 1500 people heading west on Market, crowd is growing.
* 11:31AM: People are being beat at 4th & Market
* 11:25AM: SFPD beating heads at federal buildingand at 4th and market .
* 11:00 AM: SFPD beating at 3rd and Market 1st and howard blocked. 20+ CHP on far side of bryant. 25 cars trapped betwween. Post and grant people are pushing cars into the street. 1500 people leaving fremont and howard and headed towards first to sit down.
* 10:35AM: BB at 4th and Mission 1st and howard blocked. 2+ CHP on far side of bryant. 25 cars trapped betwween. Post and Grant people are pushing cars into the street. Montgomery and Market-hundres of people, cops moving in to arrest them
* 9:50AM: 1000 at Mission & 1st headed towards Market to meet about 1000 people that have taken over Market & Montgomery and have formed a liberated zone.
* 9:42AM: 600 People at Fremont & Howard. 30 CHP are on the scene.
* 9:15AM: Haight and Buchannan. Traffic blocked up as far as eye can see.
* 8:55AM: Barricades at Stockton and Grant. Channel 2 says “If you don’t have to be downtown, don’t go.” and "As soon as protesters are arrested, more sit down. This looks like it will go on all day" and we have a BIG mess commuting" Woo-hoo!!!!! It's working.
* 8:55AM: Twenty people locked down at Transamerica Bldg. Market and Davis blocked- 100 people. People are trying to get to the Federal Bldg.
* 8:50AM: Police say half force on street. Officers normally undercover reported to be out in riot gear. Protests taking place “all over the city”. Police say at least 15 intersections blocked. “Worst traffic jams ever.” Report that at Montgomery and Clay police filling barricades with water to prevent cars from driving into the building. Gay Shame is holding Gough and Market- 200 people
* 8:41AM: A Jaguar just tried to run over some protesters at Montgomery and Clay. Pigs setting up water hoses .
* 8:30AM: Lockdown on Van Ness near Market. People locked to big cement blocks. Police are sawing people out. At Pine and people are blocking street with newspaper racks. At Oak and Gough intersection blocked by people with pink flags. Third and Market blocked by about twenty people, no cops there yet.
* 8AM: Arrests beginning.500 people (police say 300)blocking Market at Sansome. Cop violence reported outside UK consulate and outside Bechtel
* 7:55AM: Intersections being blocked 3rd and Folsom, 5th And Mission, Mission and Van Ness, Fell and Franklin (arrests about to happen), Fell and Van Ness, Bush and Powell, Market and Sansome, Recruiting Station at Davis St., Bechtel at Market and Beal, Harrison and Fremont freeway ramp (300 people)
* 7AM: Dozens of actions are planned in SF's Financial District which vow to shut down the city. Thousands will plan to "call in sick" when the war starts to help disrupt capitalism from steamrolling on. action plans and targets
* 9 AM: March from Hunter's Point to downtown.