SFist Loves a Protest

Later in the day we arrived at Powell and Market to make some noise and educate some tourists with Not In Our Name. At least two hundred people gathered at the early rally and marched along Market to meet up with the larger rally at Civic Center. The police presence here was very heavy, with maybe one officer for every two or three protesters. The rules were to obey all traffic laws, which included stopping at lighted crosswalks and staying on the sidewalk. Granted that's how it is for everyone on any day, today there were actually cops who cared. At one point SFist, dressed to blend in with Billionaires for Bush, was told "Go ahead, sir," as we nearly jaywalked to stay ahead of the crowd for a better photo angle.

Of course the crowd was a little more weathered than Weather Underground, but we all made it peacefully to Civic Center, where we joined United for Peace and Justice and thousands of other souls for the main protest, organized by the ANSWER coalition. Speakers included Supervisor Tom Ammiano, who gave a rousing speech [MP3], and SFist was happy to see Frank Chu surrounded by fellow sign-waving zealots. The Black Bloc kids were young, skinny, cute and dressed in black -- we wanted to suggest that there was loads of free artisanal bread and organic cookies behind the stage. More artful costumes were in abundance, as were the requisite witty signs. In other words, all the best that The City has to offer was on display to show how we feel about the man who is to execute our collective will.