Who Closed Union Square?

Union Square is currently police-barricaded. No one is allowed to enter the square. An officer sited "safety reasons" for the closure, saying that "if someone were to have a heart attack, we wouldn't be able to get in there. They wold be trapped." The officer would not say who gave the order to close the square.

Union Square is an important public common area in downtown San Francisco. It is surrounded by flagship retail stores including Macy's, Disney, Levi's and Niketown, and has recently been reopened after a multimillion-dollar renovation to enhance the square's image.

The SF Police Public Affairs office would not comment on the closure other than to say it was "part of the overall safety plan." When pressed for a name on who gave the order to close the public square and when it would be reopened, the representative was evasive saying "They are in the field right now" and "call back later when they are in." When asked to whom she was referring the representative only replied "I don't know" and then eventually hung up.

The Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services could not be reached for comment.