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

By Erin Sherbert Tue., Sep. 6 2011 at 8:40 AM

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 free ride home for commuters. The two groups organizing the demonstration -- No Justice, No BART and the Coalition for Justice for Oscar Grant -- plan to block the fare gates so that BART will be forced to open the emergency gates and let passengers out without paying fares.

Protesters are asking people to meet at the Powell Street station at 5 p.m. Thursday.

Krystof Lopaur, an organizer for No Justice, No BART, told reporters on Monday that if BART shuts down the station, then protesters will move to the next station and block those fares gates, too.

It is the fourth week of BART protests in response to the July 3 shooting of Charles Hill, a 45-year-old transient who police say was armed with knives when they shot him on the Civic Center platform.

Last week's protest, organized by Anonymous, the well-known hacking group, was weak compared to the previous demonstrations, where protesters climbed onto trains and blocked doors, forcing BART to close stations. Commuters were furious and frustrated by the ongoing protests. But last week, demonstrators toned it down, keeping the protests outside the station so as to not interrupt the evening commute.

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Tags:

Anonymous. Charles HIll, BART, BART protests, commuters, free ride home

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BARTRider64

Erin IceCream demonstrates her biased reporting in buying the "free ride" BS of Anonymousers hook, line and sinker.

You'd think even a cub reporter would know how BART tickets work, and that a ticket that hasn't properly been coded on exit is a pain in the butt.

bsaunders

Thousands of people exiting through the emergency gates does not mean thousands of free fares. It means thousands of people who will have to talk to the agent the next time they want to use BART. Idiotic.

Michael Thomas Bradley

Hey a44holes, go protest BART HQ or the police station and let the people earn a living. Do you really think you're doing anything but pissing of commuters? Don't get me wrong; the leadership of BART is self-serving, but leave the people who want to work alone.

njudah

Jerks. at this point this is nothing more than playtime for the children, no different than people playing softball after work, except these people mean to destroy our BART system, and ensure that the disabled and seniors can't get access to transit. Jerks.

Akit

The protesters do realize that by blocking the exit gates, a lot of pissed passengers can't properly process their BART fare and will need to see an agent to clear their unusable ticket or Clipper card. Good luck encountering ticked passengers who just wants to get home.