VIDEO: San Francisco Anti-Police Violence Activists March Through the Mission, Smash Banks
Protesters angry over the latest officer involved shooting in the Mission district of San Francisco reacted with a ‘Fuck the Police’ march on Friday night.
On Thursday night, a plain clothes officer assigned to the ‘gang task force’ shot a suspect twice during a foot chase through the Mission district. Police claim the suspect had a weapon, but offer no explanation as to why the suspect was being chased by an armed man in plain clothes in the first place.
Within three hours of the shooting, local residents took to the streets and painted the word “killers” across the police station’s front doors.
The next evening, an estimated 100 bay area residents gathered at Dolores Park, only a few blocks away from the Mission police station at 8PM. The majority of the marchers utilized the black bloc tactic, as most FTP marches result in police violence and targeted arrests.
A group of more radical activists brought attention to rampant police violence to the area with targeted property destruction.
A Wells Fargo and a US Bank both had their windows smashed, street ATMs were sabotaged, at least a dozen high end cars had their tires slashed, and tables were overturned outside a pricey restaurant. Individuals also lit multiple fire crackers, which sounded to be M80s or stronger, and threw at least one hammer and a bottle of paint at a line of riot police standing guard outside the police station.
The tactic of “smashing” windows and other vulnerable property was used, “to animate the reality of police violence in our community,” an anonymous participant told me.
Police did not make any arrests and one officer was treated for minor injuries.
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