Protests and Demonstrations

Occupy Protesters Take Over House in the Castro, 20 Arrested

Twenty seems to be the magic number for the SFPD this week. The cops arrested another 20 protesters last night after the group reportedly put on black masks and broke into a house in the Castro. According to news reports, the group gathered before 6 p.m. in Dolores Park where they listened to music ... More >>

Another Occupy Protest Scheduled Tonight

Here's something those newly evicted Occupy protesters can do with themselves. This evening, bitter folks will gather around Bank of America in San Francisco to protest the bank's three-day loan modification customer outreach event. Specifically, the "struggling families," aka protesters, will be th ... More >>

Occupy SF Grows Up -- Sort Of

Apparently, Occupy is showing some very small signs of maturity. After taking to the streets for a daylong birthday bash, protesters reportedly pitched tents at Justin Herman Plaza last night, longing for the days of doing nothing but hating money and banks. But much to our surprise, unlike earlier ... More >>

Jesse W. Nesbitt, Accused Brick Tosser, Is Missing Occupy's Birthday Due to Court Date

While the rest of his casserole-eating cohorts march through the streets of San Francisco today to observe Occupy's first birthday, 34-year-old Jesse W. Nesbitt, the perpetual object-tosser at Occupy protests, has been forced to decline that party invite. Instead, the barbaric protester will spend t ... More >>

Obama Arrives in Oakland, Protesters Waste No Time Making Him Feel Unwelcome (Update)

Update (5:10 p.m.): Some 400 protesters took over downtown Oakland, with the crowds extending for more than a city block in anticipation of the president's arrival. SF Weekly writer Chris Roberts was at the scene and tells us that protesters had giant posters emblazoned with the faces of Obama, Atto ... More >>

Protesters Block Muni, Commuting Chaos Has Begun (Updated)

Update (5 p.m.): The much -anticipated rally is finally happening. About 15 demonstrators have gathered at the Third Street Muni stop where they are listening to music and rapping in between a few speeches. It seems rather tame from what we can tell. Paul Rose, spokesman for Muni, says all trains ar ... More >>

Occupy the Farm: UC Sues, Hopes Courts Will Evict Protesters

The University of California isn't waiting around for the cops to boot demonstrators from its land. As the Chron reports today, the UC Regents have filed a lawsuit against 14 demonstrators, claiming they cut through gates and have trespassed onto the 10-acre site that's used for university research. ... More >>

Occupy the Farm Raided by Police

Occupiers over at the "Farm" in Albany say police have surrounded the area, and have started to raid the land that protesters have occupied since April 22. According to a statement released by Occupy the Farm this morning, police came in at about 7 a.m., barricaded the farm, and evicted the demonstr ... More >>

Occupied Church Building Cleared, Police Arrest 24

The madness at 888 Turk St. began a little after 5 p.m. Police officers in riot gear had begun erecting metal barricades around the front of the previously-empty Archdiocese of San Francisco building, which protesters had occupied a few hours earlier. Aside from a few demonstrators yelling at poli ... More >>

Occupy Oakland Brings Chaos to Downtown -- Again

Update 2:42 p.m.: Police have declared an unlawful assembly at 14th and Broadway, and are threatening to use more tear gas. Update 2:09 p.m.: The party has now moved to 14th and Broadway where occupiers are reportedly teaching people how to Dougie. Meanwhile, police have deployed tear gas on protest ... More >>

Building Occupiers Hurl Bricks Onto Crowd Below, Injury Reported

Update, 5:55 p.m. SF Weekly's Albert Samaha estimates about 70 cops in riot gear, about a dozen on motorbikes, and six axe-wielding firefighters are on the scene. About two dozen bystanders are observing from Jefferson Square Park nearby. No move to storm the building yet following the object-tossin ... More >>

Occupy Protesters, Watch What You Tweet

A New York judge has ruled that Twitter must release tweets from an Occupy Wall Street protester, claiming the information, which highlights the chaotic arrests on the Brooklyn Bridge last year, is -- and should be -- public for the whole world to read. Malcom Harris, a 22-year-old writer, was one o ... More >>

Why Are Faggots So Afraid of Faggots? Asks Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore

It's hard to overstate how much the politics of sexuality have changed in the past 20 years. In the 1980s and '90s, coming out of the closet was a radical act. In 2011, gay men and lesbians are so cute and cuddly and downright marketable in popular culture that even Archie and Jughead hang out with ... More >>

Convicted Murderer Goes on Hunger Strike, Dies

That's really small ​A California convicted murderer died in prison earlier this month after staging a hunger strike to protest the way he and his fellow inmates are treated while living in solitary confinement. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 27-year-old ... More >>

Occupy Oakland: Judge Issues Restraining Order Against Protesters

​Oakland officials truly upped the ante in their battle with Occupy Oakland when they secured a stay-away order for 12 protesters who were charged in connection with the weekend chaos in downtown Oakland.The demonstrators were ordered to stay 300 feet away from Frank Ogawa Plaza, home of City Hall ... More >>

Mayor Jean Quan Calls on Occupy Wall Street to "Disown" Occupy Oakland

​After a weekend of epic chaos that led to more than 400 arrests in downtown Oakland, Mayor Jean Quan says she is going to place a call to New York City -- home of the Occupy Wall Street movement --  to let protesters there know she is really, really sick and tired of Occupy consuming her hom ... More >>

Occupy San Francisco to Shut Down Financial District

​Occupy San Francisco is unleashing itself all over San Francisco's financial institutions come Friday, in what protesters are saying will be the largest street protest the city has experienced since the anti-war demonstrations in 2003. It's been several weeks in the making, ever since the Occupy ... More >>

Occupy Oakland Says F**K the Police

​Just last week, the New York Times took San Francisco residents by surprise when it concluded that Oakland -- not the City by the Bay -- was No. 5 on its top 45 list of places to be. But if you are another pissed-off American, where else would you rather be than the streets of Oakland, tearing it ... More >>

Occupy Oakland Attempts to Storm City Hall, Occupy Mayor Jean Quan's Office

​It seems that Occupy Oakland's initial intent to dismantle big banks has shifted to a more tenable goal: to make Mayor Jean Quan's first term a living hell. More than two dozen protesters attempted to overtake City Hall this afternoon, just over 12 hours after a dozen protesters were arrested on ... More >>

Occupy Oakland: New Camp Pops Up in West Oakland

​Just a short month after being uprooted and cleared out by police, Occupy protesters have reportedly pitched tents again as part of a new camp established late Tuesday night in West Oakland. Was it something we said?The Oakland Tribune reports already more than a dozen tents are occupying the new ... More >>

Mayor Ed Lee, Police Say Feds Didn't Order Them to Evict Occupy SF

Officials maintain the decision to evict Occupiers was from City Hall, not Washington. ​Both Mayor Ed Lee and San Francisco police deny that they received marching orders from any federal agency to evict Occupy SF protesters and arrest resisters at Justin Herman Plaza on December 7. SF Weekly requ ... More >>

Occupy Bernal Heights: No Tents Necessary

Courtesy of the Badass Bernalwood Press Bernal Heights residents want homes, not tents​Bernal Heights residents are proving you don't really need to pitch a tent to fight big banks. As Bernalwood reports, a bunch of neighbors in the quirky neighborhood have decided to create an official "Occupy B ... More >>

Occupy Oakland: Protesters Block Port of Oakland

Kate CongerAnd it's not even 8 a.m.!​Update (8:05 a.m.): It's started to rain, but that's not deterring this group. A handful of protesters carrying an Occupy UC Davis banner has walked further into the port. Original Story (7:06 a.m.): As expected, hundreds of Occupy Oakland protesters have march ... More >>

Occupy SF: Protesters Reoccupied Justin Herman Plaza -- Sort Of

Lauren SmileyLooking for a place to occupy​The reoccupy scene down at Justin Herman Plaza was dramatic last night, but nothing like what we saw in Oakland when protesters tried to retake Frank Ogawa Plaza after being booted out. No flash-bang grenades or pepper spray that we saw. But as expected, ... More >>

Occupy SF to Reoccupy Justin Herman Plaza

Lauren Smiley Round 2 ​Update (2:10 p.m.) Protesting makes you hungry, which is why Occupiers have taken their cause back to the Federal Reserve building where there's rumors of pizza on its way. After they regain their energy, the group is planning to reoccupy Just Herman Plaza later this evening ... More >>

Occupy Movement to Shut Down West Coast Ports

​Even if police have cleared most Occupy encampments across the nation, the movement is still very much alive. According to Occupy Oakland, more protesters up and down the West Coast have joined in the effort to shut down the ports and disrupt the 1 percent on Dec. 12. According to Occupy Oakland: ... More >>

John Pike, Accused Pepper-Spraying UC Davis Cop, Targeted by Anonymous

The shadowy online "hacktivist" group known for encouraging the Occupy Wall Street Movement has published the personal contact information of Lt. John Pike, the UC Davis cop who was allegedly recorded pepper-spraying a group of unarmed UC Davis protesters last week. A video that claims to be the wor ... More >>

Occupy the Pop Charts: Five Reasons Why We Like Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins

Gil RiegoThird Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins performing in S.F. last year.​ Yesterday, San Francisco's own Third Eye Blind released "If There Ever Was a Time," a new song in support of Occupy Wall Street. Penned by frontman Stephan Jenkins, the song's lyrics are a cheery encouragement for young ... More >>

Police Raid Occupy Oakland

Kate Conger​Update (9:00 a.m.): Conger tells us that Hazmat teams have come into the plaza and are clearing the area. Police are checking identification and letting city employees into the plaza at City Hall. Watch a live stream of the scene here. Update (8:45 a.m.) SF Weekly's Kate Conger is at t ... More >>

Occupy Oakland Shuts Down Port

Erin Sherbert​Update (8:20 p.m.): Thousands of protesters marched from downtown to the Port of Oakland where they blocked terminals, stopping traffic and shutting down the port. With almost no police officers in sight, the march seemed more like a festival, with people dancing in the streets, chan ... More >>

Mayor Jean Quan Returns Medical Supplies to Occupy Oakland Camp

Quan can't fix bad press with a bunch of band aids ​Mayor Jean Quan vowed to return all the medical supplies that had been taken during last Tuesday's early morning raid of the Occupy Oakland encampment. Protesters who have been serving at the Occupy Oakland medics warned the mayor over the weeken ... More >>

Occupy Oakland to Protest in Downtown Again Tonight

Debris still lingers in downtown Oakland and the stench of tear gas remains in the air after police fought off hundreds of protesters last night. Still, Occupy Oakland protesters are promising to hit the streets of downtown again tonight even after a violent and chaotic Tuesday evening when they sto ... More >>

Occupy Oakland Calls for Citywide Strike

​The scene in downtown Oakland was much calmer early this evening as hundreds of protesters gathered in front of City Hall to talk about what's next for Occupy Oakland. The group shunned anyone who attempted to taunt police or create chaos, while members of the leaderless group circled Frank Ogawa ... More >>

Cops Raid Occupy Oakland Camp, Protesters Arrested, BART Suspended (Video)

celesteh via Flickr​Helicopters are circling over downtown Oakland this morning as police continue breaking down the Occupy Oakland camp, where protesters have been camped out for two weeks in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement. Hundreds of officers in riot gear raided the camp shortl ... More >>

Occupy Oakland: "It's Not Finished"

dignidadrebelde via Flickr​For such a loosely organized group, Occupy Oakland has managed to quickly coordinate a renewed movement after police conducted an early morning raid today on the protesters' camp outside City Hall, which resulted in heavy smoke, dozens of arrests, and lots of chaos. With ... More >>

Why, Ed, Why?

OccupySF protesters heckled Mayor Ed Lee on Tuesday at City Hall while he was carefully trying to appease both protesters and cops. And last night, demonstrators disrupted a Police Commission hearing, enough so that the commissioners reportedly got up and walked out. Needless to say, protesters are ... More >>

Why Musicians Matter to the Occupy Movement

​It's been over two weeks since the protest in SF's financial district commenced -- prompted by the occupation of Wall Street that started almost a month ago -- and four days since Oakland joined this now apparently worldwide movement. As we all know, Occupy Wall Street was outright ignored by mai ... More >>

BART Protests: When Will They Stop?

That's one way to stop the protests​While protesters plan to gather again tonight and attempt to disrupt the evening commute (there's word they will be riding on the trains) -- BART is hoping new legislation wending its way through Sacramento will criminalize some protesters' actions. Tonight will ... More >>

Naked Protesters? Where Is Supervisor Scott Wiener When We Need Him?

Yesterday evening commuters got screwed again when BART closed down the Powell Street station for two hours while protesters chanted and yelled their way into handcuffs. Police arrested dozens of demonstrators who allegedly interfered with BART's ability to run trains. But outside the station, there ... More >>

BART Protest Rescheduled for Thursday; How Will it Benefit You?

Commuting for free​Don't think that a holiday on Monday meant a holiday from BART protests. The active mob of demonstrators informed the media that they will be in full swing on Thursday, promising to block the fare gates. But this protest, as strange as it sounds, might actually translate into a ... More >>

Pelican Bay Hunger Strike: Supporters Plan to Rally, Possibly Disrupt the Evening Commute

Maybe commuters should start protesting protesters ​What we learned from the BART protest earlier this week is that activists can bring commute traffic to a screeching halt. Which is why we are delivering this warning now: Duck out of work early today unless you want to get stuck in yet another pr ... More >>

BART Rally Snarls Traffic, Frustrates Commuters (Slideshow)

Yesterday, we tracked the unruly protesters who interrupted the evening commute, creating major train delays and station closures. And while these protesters were expressing their outrage over the recent shooting of 45-year-old Charles Hill, commuters were a little infuriated themselves.SF Weekly's ... More >>

SF Weekly's Evening at the BART Rally

Riot police at Civic Center BART station​At 4:30 p.m. on Monday, a BART train pulls up to the Civic Center platform. The doors slide open and passengers disembark, looking around curiously once they realize each set of doors is flanked by two BART security guards in fluorescent yellow vests. In ... More >>

New Word Needed For Oscar Grant 'Protesters'

​As all but the most out-to-lunch area residents know, ex-BART cop Johannes Mehserle on Friday received a two-year sentence for shooting unarmed passenger Oscar Grant dead. With the 292 days served Mehserle already has credit for and his presumably good behavior, he could be out in seven months. N ... More >>

SEIU Besieges Mayor's Office; Shouted Down By Angry Native American

PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT WILL BE POSTED SHORTLY​ And we thought the most interesting spectacle at the SEIU protest Thursday afternoon was going to be the 14-foot puppet. True, the affair to protest the upcoming layoffs of 600 health care and clerical positions started out pretty placid, with a man b ... More >>

Iraqi Shoe Guy Disses San Francisco

By Matt Smith When Muntadar al-Zaidi of Cairo-based al-Baghdadia TV threw his size 10 shoes at President George Bush, San Franciscans were thrilled. It now appears, however, that it's not just George W. Bush who was knocked down a notch by Zaidi's impressive pitching. His filthy flying apparel ma ... More >>

Free Tibet Protesters Scale Golden Gate Bridge

Calm Before the Storm

Before last week's megaprotests, cops and marchers made nice in the Mission

March Madness

Demonstrating may soothe the psyche, but it won't save San Francisco's arts scene

Second Time Around