more photos of anti-g8 AA march

What a waste of time and energy and a profound contempt for a workingclass neighborhood that desperately needs everything. To add more trash only makes life worse. No hungry people were fed; no problems were solved; no sense of community was built.

Everyone I know, including this writer, all lifelong peace activists, are very tired after a workday and workweek, and have no time for nighttime marches, much less smashing things and getting in fights with the police. Who are these people who have so much time and energy to trash a neighborhood, wonder around a neighborhood at night, get in fights with the police?

At least the kids care about something. Do you actually know the mission? It is a split personality neighborhood, it is both a imigrant/working class community and a playground for the rich and slumming it yuppees.
I don't know that property destruction is effective, but who is to say what is effective. Um look at the world, the powers that be will stop at nothing to do their bidding. Maybe the effect of actions such as these will be to inspire other people to break out of their chains, or maybe not. There is no certainty but life and death, and that things are gonna get a whole lot worse before they get better.

::::Everyone I know, including this writer, all lifelong peace activists, are very tired after a workday and workweek, and have no time for nighttime marches, much less smashing things and getting in fights with the police. Who are these people who have so much time and energy to trash a neighborhood, wonder around a neighborhood at night, get in fights with the police?::::

they are achitivists just like you fighting for the same things you are. Just doing it differently.

I work 40+ hours a week, make less than $23,000/yr and generally do 30 hours of activist oriented work weekly. I was there. Please dont play the class card when hardly anyone there was non-workingclass.

Three words: Boston Tea Party

The fact that protesters seriously injured a cop who was doing nothing wrong is sad and harmful to those of us who are trying to make change on the very issues these folks were protesting.

Trashing the Mission and calling it an "afront" to capitalism is a joke -- was anything productive accomplished by this so-called protest? No, in fact, much harm was done.

John 2: 15

And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables

Let's call it what it really was. A vandalism spree. There are plenty of viable, non-violent avenues for making one's voice heard and for working towards change. This so-called "protest" was none of these things. Vandalizing "corporate targets" where working class local residents work very hard to earn money to keep a roof over their heads and feed their children accomplishes what?

Gutless, anonymous vandals. Real heroes in the ongoing struggle used non-violent means and were not afraid to stand up and be known by their names. Yes, it cost some of them their lives, but because they truly believed in what they were doing, they took that risk. I don't believe any of the "protesters" have this sort of courage or commitment or convictions.

that cop wasnt doing "nothing wrong" when he got hit in the head. he was beating a 17 year old kid.

"This protest pushes the movement backward"

People who demonize and talk down to others in this so-called "movement" are the ones who continue to push the "movement" backwards. Grow a fucking spine and stop taking pot-shots at people.

i live on 23rd and valencia. why add to the stereotypes of violence in "poor" neighborhoods, when you have a choice? why give the cops more excuses to be in the mission? why not take it to pacific heights, tiburon, ross, belvedere, the marina, downtown, noe valley, nob hill, sea cliff, and sorry i don't know the rich neighborhoods of the east bay. those are the capitalists, confront them face-to-face and provide information in the mission instead. if this was about community, did you have mission neighborhood community approval (or something similar - agreance or whatever) before-hand, for a 'community' movement? not that that's necessary, but call it as it is - what community. i'm thankful for protests against the g8... but even though i live on 23rd and valencia and watched what was happening last night, i could only see a big sign for anarchists, nothing against the g8 was visible... maybe next time less self-promotion and larger signs about the issues at hand being protested... so that those of us not 'in the know' can be in the know for real about what's going on. it was not until i saw a news 'commercial' later that i found out it was a g8 protest happening outside my window. my boyfriend and i, watching the whole thing, thought it was just some random anarchist group outburst, for no reason making sense to us being held the day after the london bombings and the 16th and guerrero fire. i'd love to see a protest in a rich neighborhood, staged according to research done on what (corporate person etc) lives there. the closest this protest/march will touch the richies is through their entertainment systems. and maybe they'll use the parking garage or dolores street instead of mission when they come to eat on valencia - but probably not. i support to the movement, but i feel like the real bad guys are those in elite communities and not the cops... sorry for the long comment. oh - and thanks to the random people who put up the news stands again, that would suck if one caused an accident.

...and Walnut Creek and Palo Alto and Mill Valley, not the Mission. And when did 23rd and Valencia become a poor neighborhood? Maybe 10 years ago. Take it to International and 98th or Palou and 3rd.

was beating people up just before he got hit. Don't believe the media. But even if the cop "was doing nothing wrong" thast paritcular day. he is one of the armed fists of a system that does things wrong eveyrday-24/7. You don't see that cop "upholding the law" and arrresting George Bush, or even his fellow brutalizers. The cops even the good ones protect the bad cops.

And as for "trashing the Mission", that's a damn lie. A few multi-national corporations that exploit the people of the Mission having their windows broken is not trashing the Mission. No houses were destroyed, no minroity owned small businesses were trashed, no people were hurt other than one cop who hzad jsut beaten someone up.

The police officers responded to a call for help. When they arrived, the "innocent teen agers" attempted to burn them alive in their car by tossing a matress under the car and igniting it.

When the police officers, whose presense was requested by the residents (they are not an occupying force ... the "protesters" smashing windows were the occupying force that night) attempted to make an arrest, they were attacked by 30 protesters. Let's see, 2 cops against 30 protesters.

It sounds more like the cops were lured and attacked. A well planned attack.

The protestors weren't brave, or doing any good for anyone. They attempted to murder two police officers, who were there to protect and serve.

That's the cops' version. That doesn't mean it's true. The cops are so out of touch with what *really* happened that they admit they don't even know who struck that officer. So they are holding three innocent hostages.

I could care less about a Wells Fargo window. I fully empathize with the anger, frustration and disgust at the status quo and understand the desire to let off a little steam. Too bad more damage wasn't done to more banks.

i hid a comment that was seeking information about the injury of the cop, since it wasn't clear if the info was sought for legal support of protesters or for police purposes.

people who have info that they think is important should contact the legal team (defense) of the protester(s) in question.

Witness info should only be given to defense attorneys representing the people arrested. period. These are serious charges. No info should be given to people you don't know or who are not attorneys. If the police want to talk to you, do not speak to them. Call the NLG office at 415-285-1011 to speak with an attorney.