protest update, 9 arrests, police brutality, NAB infiltrated

Update: NAB Infiltrated – Lockdown at Moscone - Clear Channel Demo


It’s noon on Friday, September 22 – the second day of the NAB’s national radio conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco – and a group of about 100 activists have already succeeded in pulling off several successful direct actions for the day. Andrea Buffa and I infiltrated and disrupted the FCC’s Policymakers’ Breakfast as FCC Commissioner Harold Furchgott-Roth was about to address the NAB. Four others bum rushed through the convention center doors, sat down in a circle with their backs to each other, and locked themselves together by the throat with cryptonite bike locks, as a group of spirited protesters hopped around on a large, makeshift media monopoly board outside. And we pulled off an impromptu march to the offices of Clear Channel AM/FM – the nation’s largest radio owner – and held a rally outside.

Nine people have been arrested so far. We know that at least two are being held at 850 Bryant. Now the Sheriff’s Dept. is refusing to acknowledge the National Lawyers’ Guild observers as the arrestees’ legal representatives, and two NLG lawyers have said they are willing to risk arrest to gain access to their clients.

The four on lock-down remained in the convention center for several hours, chanting "Whose airwaves? Our airwaves!" Convention organizers reportedly set up a curtain around them before the police were able to remove them from the site – but they weren’t able to silence them.

The five others arrested had never intended to be, and were simply picked off by the police without provocation during the march to Clear Channel and at the rally that ensued. There were several instances of excessive force by the SFPD during this action as well, as we ventured out of sight of curious by-standers downtown. Steve Randell of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) was the second arrested. (Police had asked us to get out of the street and onto the sidewalk, and apparently Steve hadn’t moved quickly enough.) Once in front of the Clear Channel offices at 340 Townsend, two of KMEL’s "shock jocks" from the "Dog House" (the station’s morning show) came out into the crowd with microphones and, broadcasting live, began to incite the protesters by insulting us and shoving us around.

Although many activists witnessed police beat up two different people, we have no reports yet as to how severe their injuries might be. (The first person to be arrested during the march – a young STORM activist - was reported to have been bleeding from the face as he was thrown into the paddy wagon.)

Media activists kept video cameras rolling and several spoke over cell phones to local radio stations like KPOO and KQED as the action unfolded. Stay tuned to this Web site for images and updates.