Protest Against Police Brutality in Mission

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<font size=+2><strong>Protest Against Police Brutality</strong></font><br>
<font size=-1><strong>Saturday, May 19th, Mission Police Department</strong></font><br>
A youth-organized rally to end police brutality and justice system racism was held outside the Mission Police Department at 17th & Valencia in San Francisco on Saturday, May 19th. <br><br>Around noon, people came together outside the police station, holding banners and speaking on a microphone. As a single police cruiser watched from across the street, cars driving by honked and waved at a large banner that said "End Police Brutality". The attention and noise from the cars added to the momentum of the rally, and passers-by joined in to stand in solidarity against police violence in San Francisco.<br><br>After creating noise and chanting (including "end police brutality, its causing our fatality"), people spoke about their personal experiences dealing with police violence and organizing against it. A diverse group of people (pictured at right) were given a chance on the mike, and their stories about losing loved ones to abusive police created a solemn atmosphere, as people began to reflect about why they had come out to protest. "People were beaten here last night. People were unjustly arrested here last night -- this is not an abstract thing," said Van Jones, a community organizer, who also spoke about a recent community victory against a huge new juvenile detention center in Alameda.<br><br>After an hour or so, the group marched down Mission to the Intersection for the Arts, where a dialogue/community talk was held, which was also organized and facilitated by young people from the community. People talked about using art and expression as a weapon against police violence, shared ideas, listened to music and ate cookies.<br><br>The day was planned by Youth Making a Change and FLY (Freedom, Life, Youth), who can be contacted at (415) 550-6884. A flyer for the protest says, "Instead of running to a policeman when we need help we run from them ... Lack of background checks, racism and excessive force don't only make problem officers; they also make problem departments and one of the many parts of our problem government."<br><br>


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