During Saturday's "Anti-Colonial, Anti-Capitalist" demonstration in downtown San Francisco, police ended up arresting 20 protesters/"criminal street gang" members for a variety of infractions, including: conspiracy, riot, refusing to obey a lawful order from a peace officer; resisting, delaying or obstructing a peace officer; and assault and battery on a peace officer. Most notably, police claim that some of the protesters hurled road flares and bags of paint (some containing rocks) at the officers.

In a press released, SFPD notes:

On October 6, 2012, at approximately 2:50 a group of approximately 100 persons who identified themselves as members of the criminal street gang, Black Blok gathered at Justin Herman Plaza. The group began an unpermitted march Westbound on Market Street. in the group Wore black clothing and masks covering their faces as they took to the streets disrupting the normal flow of traffic. Officers arrived in the area and were immediately struck by projectiles thrown by members of this group. One officer Was struck in the head and sustained non-life threatening injuries. Police issued numerous Warnings that the rnarch Was unpermitted and those participating were in violation of the law and subject to arrest. Several vehicles and businesses in the Financial District were also vandalized by this group as they marched through the streets.

The fuzz did get a bit rough with the protesters as they moved toward Pine and Sansome Streets. Things get heated between SFPD and protesters at around to 2:00 mark:

Police also suspect that "many of the persons in this group were also responsible for similar
acts that occurred in the City’s l\/lission District on September 20th and 21st." However, as SF Appeal critically points out, "SFPD did not give any further explanation for this allegation, nor was any explanation given by in a report based on this release published in the San Francisco Chronicle." Hmm.

Meanwhile, in Oakland on Sunday, an estimated 200 people gathered at Frank Ogawa Plaza outside Oakland City Hall to mark, among other things, the 11th anniversary of the start of the war in Afghanistan. No arrests were made, but protesters did manage to leave their mark.

[via Political Fail Blog/YouTube]