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J20 Inauguration in San Francisco: Thousands protest against incoming administration [ Reports: March & RTS | More Details | IAC Report ] [ Photos: Photo Gallery | March/Rally | Reclaim the Streets ] [ Multimedia: Oakland Video | Ammiano Audio | Media Analysis ] A diverse coalition of protesters gathered at Civic Center around noon on J20. Corporate news estimated 15,000 turned out to protest the fake presidential elections and scam democracy in the United States. People came from groups involved in prison and death penalty activism, anti-racism, labor, greens, stopping PG&E, housing rights in the Mission and SF Bay Area, anarchists, the general public, as well as some folks who joined in as the massive parade and party marched throughout San Francisco. Marchers Take Police Route to Park, Hundreds Continue On and Reclaim the Streets Thousands participated in a police-approved march from Civic Center BART to Jefferson Square Park, where an organizing coalition had arranged for speakers. A smaller part of the march decided to continue marching outside of the police route and took the intersection of Van Ness and Turk. Police on the scene were ordered to stand down, and a police commander shouted, "Let them have the south lane!" As the impromptu march continued towards Market Street, hundreds from the park followed and the protest gained momentum. At Powell & Market, protesters met a huge crowd of tourists and shoppers. Police made a show of force by lining up on horseback, but the fun-loving protesters and on-looking, curious tourists prevented any violence. Having held their ground, protesters decided to continue on and then back to the cable car turn-around. Street Party Goes Into the Night, Protesters Ransack the Gap Protesters blockaded the cable car turn-around, using it as a merry-go-round. Tourists who had been waiting to ride the cable car could only look on and try to save their place in line. A group of police broke through the crowd and removed people from the turn-around, except for one man who sat with a sign that read "Republicans Suck". The cops guarded city workers who put a lock on the turn-around, preventing it from moving. The police were low key throughout this blockade of the cable car as rich shoppers and tourists snapped photos, looked on, and joined in. A commanding officer announced that "this is not where we want the battle, we don't know who is friend or foe down there." Another part of the group locked arms in front of the Gap. Store management informed the police that they would not arrest the protesters because it "happens all the time." Shoppers were forced to step over the demonstraters and through a police line to shop at the Gap. Later, about 30 people ran into the Gap and frolicked throughout the store. Gap management said they would sign citizen's arrest warrants for protesters who had entered the store, and police began to monitor all entrances, allowing only "shoppers" into the store. Reinforcements were called in, and police sweeped the store to make arrests. However, protesters mixed with customers or slipped out an entrance, and the police could only stalk around the store aimlessly. Protesters blockaded all entrances, and the Gap was shut down for hours. The party and protest lasted into the evening hours. More street parties, protests and resistance are being called for by Reclaim the Streets.

IN OAKLAND • Video: Hundreds rally in Oakland • Image of Oakland Rally Flyer IN SANTA CRUZ Protesters marched down Pacific to the Clock Tower and throughout town with puppets and cardboard missiles. The marchers performed the Coronation of King George, then proceeded to the city courthouse for a rally. IN WASHINGTON D.C. "Barricades were broken and bleachers overturned as people expressed their fright at the fate of social justice and ecological sanity under the incoming administration ... Bush is now President but there was a black flag flying high in the streets just blocks away from the inauguration ceremony." • Up-to-the-minute breaking news • Summary of J20 in D.C. • Full coverage at DC-IMC IN LOS ANGELES • Well, They Didn't Shoot Us • Report on Speeches • Protest/Organize Site • LA-IMC Coup Watch • Organizer's List IN SEATTLE • Complete pictures & video • Video : Raging Grannies at J20 • Summary of J20 in Seattle AROUND THE COUNTRY • Akron, Ohio • Austin, Texas • Burlington, Vermont • Chicago, Illinois • Ft. Bragg, California • Hartford, Connecticut • Phoenix, Arizona • Portland, Oregon • Salt Like City, Utah • Urbana, Illinois • More national reports • More reports on actions everywhere

A string of leaked e-mails has created panic amongst the executives of Diebold Election Systems. Diebold is the second largest, and fastest growing electronic voting corporation in the world, and produces touch screen voting stations used in 37 states in the country. These same machines were used throughout the state of California during the 10/7 Recall Election.

Recently this IMC came under attack from Diebold for an anonymous post on our newswire which included links to the memos. Our web host, Online Policy Group, received a cease and desist letter on 10/10, giving OPG 24 hours to remove the postings. The Electronic Frontier Foundation issued a press release discounting the validity of Diebold’s lawyers' efforts to keep the controversial information secret, and OPG stated it would "defend strongly the free speech right of our client IndyMedia to publish links to Diebold memos relevant to the public debate about electronic voting machine security..." Given the long problematic history of electronic voting systems, California voters remain skeptical of Diebold technology -- and links with the Republican electoral apparatus. Read Full Report

11/28/2003: Nine days away from the most important San Francisco election in recent history, Willie Brown's handpicked successor Gavin Newsom has been caught forging a mass email, also posted to this site, which calls for supporters of candidate Matt Gonzalez to protest a Tuesday campaign appearance by Mr. Newsom, where he will be accompanied by former Vice President Al Gore.

The protest announcement, which Green Party spokeswoman Susan King has publicly repudiated, was circulated anonymously through a web email provider. Gonzalez supporters discovered today however, that in the email header of the announcement was an IP address traced to the campaign headquarters of Gavin Newsom.

The San Francisco political elite behind Gavin Newsom are no stranger to employing underhanded tricks to get their candidates elected; in 2001 some 400 ballots went missing, and ballot box tops were found floating in the bay.

On January 8th 2004, Gavin Newsom was sworn in as the new mayor of San Francisco. As thousands of conservative Democrats and Republicans rallied in the streets, activists mourned Newsom's rise while celebrating the end of 8 years of Willie Brown's corruption. Police took a hostile attitude towards the protesters, trying to isolate them to an area where they would not be seen by the press (while allowing other signs and banners that did not attack Newsom to be brought into the main crowd). A protest by radical queers walked with a mock coffin into the crowd at one point but a homophobic Newsom supporter quickly confronted them, claimed to have gotten fake blood on his jacket and had a protester detained.
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1/20/04: In a State of the Union address tailor-made for his conservative constituency, Bush plugged the Patriot Act and the never-ending "War on Terror". While the government launches the biggest deficit in US history, the poverty level continues to skyrocket and millions of people are without homes or jobs. Of the six main segments of his speech, Bush focused two, same-sex marriages and faith-based initiatives, on enforcing "morality" as a new American value, while undermining gay and women's rights. As funding for education is funneled into defense contracts and prisons, schools continue to close down across America and children "left behind" are being pushed up to the front... of military lines. While the rest of the world continues to withdraw support for Bush's imperial reign, pundits quibble over the obvious: same old State of Crisis. Stay tuned for continued coverage of the State of Crisis on Street Level TV!

After sitting on the story for a month, SF dailies have featured extensive coverage of election fraud by city officials. SLUG street cleaners, recipients of the city's welfare-to-work program, reported being taken from regular duties and sent precinct walking to distribute Newsom materials door-to-door during the runoff campaign, as well as being instructed to vote for Newsom. Similar allegations of workers forced to campaign for Willie Brown in 1999 also surfaced; John Farrell told reporters he knew it was wrong but needed his job.

Last week, a press conference by the People of Color Coalition, supporters of the Gonzalez mayoral campaign, alleged further campaign violations, including Newsom supporters handing out provisional ballots door-to-door in Bay View Hunters Point. The press conference also raised serious voter intimidation charges; according to resident Alvin Jones, "You’re more or less risking your life to vote. It's wrong and should be stopped."

As the city and state launch their investigations, obvious questions arise - Was another election fixed? What can be done to insure fair elections in San Francisco? Read more