– San Francisco – Protesters have blocked traffic with street theater and chained themselves to Mission Police Station as part of an action against officer-involved shootings in the city and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. The roughly 100 activists began arriving at about 7 a.m. to mark the one year anniversary of the police shooting of Alex Nieto. They were joined by Nieto’s parents and the youth rhythm and dance ensemble Loco Bloco.
10 of the protesters joined hands through tubing and chained themselves to the Valencia street exit of the Mission Station parking lot. Public Information Officer Albie Esparza said the action is not interfering with their ability to respond to calls for service with the vehicles they already have out and about. Esparza said the police do not currently have plans to take action against protesters and are simply monitoring their “First Amendment rights activity.”
San Francisco protesters have chained themselves to gates to protest police violence. pic.twitter.com/DRQUFBBOvS Pic/V @eweise #alexnieto -now
— Revolution News (@NewsRevo) March 23, 2015
Others set up a mock trial, in what they called “the people’s court.” Protesters wearing masks printed with the faces of some of the officers involved in the shooting were found “guilty” of murder along with the District Attorney. Mayor Ed Lee was found “guilty” for remaining silent on the matter. “Justice is blind even on 17th and Valencia,” one protester announced. “We’re here to give justice where deserved.”
Locking it down 4 justice #ShutItDown #StrikeOutPoliceBrutality #BlackLivesMatter #justice4alexnieto #Gentrification pic.twitter.com/cYdq2Amn6F — antievictionmap (@antievictionmap) March 23, 2015
The activists also issued a list of demands, which included that the officers involved in the shooting be fired, mass displacement be halted, and the officers be subject to a “people’s trial.”
Traffic has stopped near 17th and Valencia. A tech shuttle, apparently an empty eBay bus, has been stopped in its tracks by protesters carrying a banner reading “Gentrification = Violence.”
Nearby, an altar was set up commemorating lives lost to police shootings.
Activists said they intended to stay for 4 hours and 15 minutes, in reference to the city’s area code and the police code 415, which they said indicates a disturbance (some sources say 415 is the police code for a noise complaint).
This is a developing story, we’ll update this post with more information when available.
We are staying 4:15 mins, because we are Frisco the 415, and in solidarity with #blacklivesmatter #justice4alexnieto pic.twitter.com/vNv8V45IL9
— A. Szeto (@andrewszeto) March 23, 2015
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