Police surround the street which protestors are marching, hidden at the adjacent or parallel blocks. Waiting until protestors are on a block where there are no alleys, cops mobalize to surround protestors, corraling them into a police trap. The cops give a false "order to disperse" or an order to get on the sidewalks. This order is to cluster the group into the police trap - there is never any way to "disperse".

Next, the cops are ordered to divide the group - they lunge at the center, beating and lunging until meeting the cops on the other side. The cops fan out, lunging and beating the protestors into divided circles. The cops surround the protestors, in lineups one or two deep in cops.

They hold the protestors here. Sometimes they arrest them. Sometimes they hold them. Often, they antagonize protestors - it must be of strategic advantage to have protestors angry or upset. Mass arrests are less likely to take place on Market or where bystanders may witness police behavior. It is more likely to take place on Mission St or other locations.

Most of all, this is a game to those giving orders. They truly seem to enjoy figuring out how best to defeat first ammendment activists. They never really grew out of their GI Joe days.