Occupy Wall Street West Trying Hard to Occupy the Financial District, 19 Arrested
Categories: Occupy Bay Area
(Update) 3:50 p.m.: It looks like the madness is moving down Marker Street, where protesters are blocking traffic. So yeah, your commute home will suck. The Occupy Party bus has arrived, and is headed toward the Civic Center, it appears. Meanwhile, Wells Fargo is playing it smart and has boarded up all its windows, not that this demonstration has been anything like what we saw in Oakland.
(Update) 2:27 p.m. Sgt. Michael Andraychak tells us that as of 12:30 p.m., a total of 19 protesters were arrested after refusing to move away from the Wells Fargo exits. Police are still in the Financial District, but Andraychak says the demonstration seems to have calmed down for now. "It ebbs and flows," he said. SF Weekly's Browner tells us that protesters have gathered outside of the Bank of America on Montgomery, closing off the street off. Police are standing nearby in riot gear.
(Update) 1:16 p.m. Browner now tells us a group of peaceful protesters are moving to City Hall, singing bluegrass tunes of all things. Browner says she's seen a handful of protesters arrested, and confirmed with Occupy that at least seven demonstrators have been hauled to jail. However, other media outlets are reporting that number is now at 19. Police are no longer lingering at California and Kearney, but no word on where they are now.
Update: (12:23 p.m.): A police source tells SF Weekly that occupy protesters on Market Street are posing as undercover cops, arresting their fellow protesters. "Doing it now on Market Street," our source wrote to us at noon. "Haven't seen that before!" Not sure why they might be doing this, but the source speculates it's to rile the movement.
Update: (11:29 a.m.) Cops have cleared California Street and are holding pedestrians on the sidewalk.The party bus that some Occupiers' had used is indeed leaving, headed down Montgomery toward Market. People are marching after it, including the brass band that's been there all day.
Update: (11:20 a.m.) Cops in riot gear are now marching on California Street, which is shut down from Kearny to Sansome. Browner and Conger both report arrests and some violent flare ups: One protester struck with a baton; another protester's percussion instruments were seized as potential weapons. Some cable cars are able to pass through the intersection.
Update: (10:22 a.m.): Cops have succeeded in clearing Montgomery street.
Other demonstrators have been stationed outside Goldman Sachs, asking people not to go into work today. There weren't enough demonstrators there to block the doors, though security did lock the doors, but they are still letting employees inside.
Check back for updates.
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(Update) 2:27 p.m. Sgt. Michael Andraychak tells us that as of 12:30 p.m., a total of 19 protesters were arrested after refusing to move away from the Wells Fargo exits. Police are still in the Financial District, but Andraychak says the demonstration seems to have calmed down for now. "It ebbs and flows," he said. SF Weekly's Browner tells us that protesters have gathered outside of the Bank of America on Montgomery, closing off the street off. Police are standing nearby in riot gear.
(Update) 1:16 p.m. Browner now tells us a group of peaceful protesters are moving to City Hall, singing bluegrass tunes of all things. Browner says she's seen a handful of protesters arrested, and confirmed with Occupy that at least seven demonstrators have been hauled to jail. However, other media outlets are reporting that number is now at 19. Police are no longer lingering at California and Kearney, but no word on where they are now.
Update: (12:23 p.m.): A police source tells SF Weekly that occupy protesters on Market Street are posing as undercover cops, arresting their fellow protesters. "Doing it now on Market Street," our source wrote to us at noon. "Haven't seen that before!" Not sure why they might be doing this, but the source speculates it's to rile the movement.
Update: (11:29 a.m.) Cops have cleared California Street and are holding pedestrians on the sidewalk.The party bus that some Occupiers' had used is indeed leaving, headed down Montgomery toward Market. People are marching after it, including the brass band that's been there all day.
Update: (11:20 a.m.) Cops in riot gear are now marching on California Street, which is shut down from Kearny to Sansome. Browner and Conger both report arrests and some violent flare ups: One protester struck with a baton; another protester's percussion instruments were seized as potential weapons. Some cable cars are able to pass through the intersection.
Update: (11:08 a.m.) Kate Conger reports, "Protesters are marching on motorcycle cops, who are backing up Montgomery toward Sacramento. That's different from Oakland. I've never seen the OPD back up from a crowd."
Update: (11:00 a.m.) Cops in riot gear hold the line on Sacramento Street. There appear to be about 200 protesters in total. Many are chanting "Shame on you!" and "Let him go!" at cops over arrests.
Update: (11:00 a.m.) Cops in riot gear hold the line on Sacramento Street. There appear to be about 200 protesters in total. Many are chanting "Shame on you!" and "Let him go!" at cops over arrests.
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| Kate Conger |
Update: (10:55 a.m.) The protesters will let public transportation through, but not this BMW.
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| Erin Browner |
Update: (10:45 a.m.) Conger and Browner report that the intersection of California and Montgomery Street is blocked again. As Conger puts it, "lots of sage burning and chanting." Browner, meanwhile, has noted lots of cowbell -- and that the protesters clear the way to allow Muni through.
Update: (10:38 a.m.) SF Weekly's Erin Browner is out among the soaking-wet Occupiers. Here's the first of her photo updates, first of the"Carnival of Resistance" protesters in front of Citicorp at Sutter and Sansmome. Browner reports lots of masks and facepaint and just one police van. She reports that protesters are writing "99 %" on each bank they pass, including the Bank of America at California & Montgomery.
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| Erin Browner |
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| Erin Browner |
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| Erin Browner |
Update: (10:15 a.m.): Protesters are blocking Montgomery between California and Pine and are not letting cars through. They are also blockading the doors of Bank of America.
Conger says that protesters claim they have shut down the Wells Fargo headquarters, but we can't say for sure if that's true. Update (8:40 a.m.): Protesters have chained themselves to the doors of the Wells Fargo Headquarters.
Original story (7:35 a.m.): Perhaps it's the rain, or maybe it's just too early in the morning, but it appears that Occupy's latest attempt to disrupt the city's financial institutions is off to a slow start.
The group had advertised this to be the biggest street demonstration since the 2003 anti-war protests; however, SF Weekly writer Kate Conger is in downtown San Francisco and tells us it's not much more than several small groups spread throughout the Financial District.
A small cluster of protesters are gathered at the side entrance to Wells Fargo. The group is chanting and using some kind of tubes to connect their arms and block the bank's doors.
A wet and probably frustrated group of bank employees is standing in the rain, waiting to get inside the building.
Original story (7:35 a.m.): Perhaps it's the rain, or maybe it's just too early in the morning, but it appears that Occupy's latest attempt to disrupt the city's financial institutions is off to a slow start.
The group had advertised this to be the biggest street demonstration since the 2003 anti-war protests; however, SF Weekly writer Kate Conger is in downtown San Francisco and tells us it's not much more than several small groups spread throughout the Financial District.
A small cluster of protesters are gathered at the side entrance to Wells Fargo. The group is chanting and using some kind of tubes to connect their arms and block the bank's doors.
A wet and probably frustrated group of bank employees is standing in the rain, waiting to get inside the building.
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| Kate Conger |
Check back for updates.
Follow us on Twitter at @SFWeekly and @TheSnitchSF
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