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San Francisco Hot about Muni Fare Increase and Warm to Protesting
Muni drivers, and public gives Muni social strikers thumbs up-- and gives the increased fares a thumbs down.
The increased Muni bus fares that went into effect today were a surprise for many San Franciscans in spite of all the advance news and publicity. Fewer citizens were aware that a group of civic activists, including myself, are advocating a public protest and calling for a strike against paying the increased fare.
Any nervousness or reservations I had about personally assisting with the strike dissolved as I learned for myself how angry average persons are about the fare increases and how receptive they are to putting a stop to the unfair burdons that the increased fares will put on them.
All of the activists who participated in the protest that began today at 3 pm at 4th and Market Street were unanimous about the protest being a peaceful one. We are encouraging people to reject the fare increase and budget cuts that put the poor, the disabled, the elderly, and immigrants at the greatest disadvantage.
For more information go to:
Any nervousness or reservations I had about personally assisting with the strike dissolved as I learned for myself how angry average persons are about the fare increases and how receptive they are to putting a stop to the unfair burdons that the increased fares will put on them.
All of the activists who participated in the protest that began today at 3 pm at 4th and Market Street were unanimous about the protest being a peaceful one. We are encouraging people to reject the fare increase and budget cuts that put the poor, the disabled, the elderly, and immigrants at the greatest disadvantage.
For more information go to:
For more information:
http://www.munifarestrike.net/
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Feel free to drop by here: http://www.socialstrike.net
The legal link at the website given by "also" has an error in it. The more useful site for legal questions would be the website:
http://www.munifarestrike.net/
http://www.munifarestrike.net/
Your Social Strike was a complete flop. 99% of the city didn't even notice. Heh.
What do you mean "was"? It's only just begun.
I personally rode four busses for free yesterday, while the inspectors were occupied with the diversions created by the protestors. I'm just not telling which ones because I don't want to get the drivers in trouble. There are thousand just like me. We succeed because we stay invisible.
I personally rode four busses for free yesterday, while the inspectors were occupied with the diversions created by the protestors. I'm just not telling which ones because I don't want to get the drivers in trouble. There are thousand just like me. We succeed because we stay invisible.
hey there... great action... I am a Anarchist from Germany and talked to a guy yesterday at the 4th street. I wanted to ask for his email... he can write me to the email above...
MUNI FARE STRIKE
Bulletin #5
Friday, September 2, 2005
The fare strike continues, and goes on until Muni reverses its fare hikes, service cuts, and layoffs. Basta!
*** DAY ONE ***
On the first day of the fare strike, Thursday, September 1, Muni mobilized squads of security guards, fare inspectors, administrators and police to combat fare strikers. Some transit locations expected to be hot spots for the fare strike were under virtual occupation by these Muni security teams --particularly in low-income neighborhoods like the Mission where support for the fare strike has been and remains strong.
Yet fare strike organizers continued to agitate at transit hubs like 16th and Mission, 24th and Mission, Geneva and Mission, and the Balboa BART station, right under the nose of the Muni counter-insurgency squads. Often riders getting on or off the bus were virtually surrounded by
Muni security, seeking to prevent fare strike organizers even from handing them a leaflet. But when the Muni squads missed surrounding a particular bus, or backed off a bit, many fare strikers found their way aboard.
Despite Muni's show of force and intimidation tactics, hundreds of fare strikers boarded Muni at these occupied transit hubs during the course of the day. There were a few tickets handed out, but most of those have
already been referred to our legal team. More than once, fare
inspectors let several fare strikers get on, then picked off the last one to ticket as an example.
Most significantly, everywhere fare strike organizers went during the course of the day, out-of-sight of the occupied transit hubs, we found riders willing and eager to participate in the fare strike, and found few drivers interested in being the fare police. Reports are still being collected, but it is clear that many, many riders actively participated in Day One of the fare strike, in many different parts of town. The
corporate media has so far concentrated its reports on the occupied transit hubs, and has done little to investigate conditions elsewhere in town.
In the late afternoon, the action shifted downtown. Fare strike
organizers again went head-to-head with a large Muni security squad at 4th and Market, and again we found many riders eager to hear our message. Other
organizers spread out around other parts of downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods, where the Muni security presence was nil, and found a great deal of support. Again, we are still collecting reports of the action downtown in the afternoon.
What became obvious during the course of the day was that the Muni security squads were actually making converts for the movement for transit justice, as many riders were angered to find themselves surrounded by
these squads, blocking their way and slowing down the busses.
In one egregious example, Muni administrators, worried about a crowd of riders waiting to get on through the back doors of an articulated bus at 16th and Mission, ordered the driver to keep the back doors closed, even though there were dozens of riders trying to get out. Instead, Muni
administrators ordered the driver to force riders to get out the front door, which caused a long delay, virtually holding people in the bus hostage for several minutes.
The fare strike continues...
*** THUGS FOR MUNI? ***
The most serious incident we have heard yet started when one of the Muni security people grabbed a man by his pants at 16th and Mission who had entered a bus through the rear door, and dragged him back out into
the street. This illegal and improper action naturally led to an
altercation, with several Muni security people getting involved, who ended up chasing the guy up the street, and roughing him up before the police finally intervened and detained him. It appears that our extra quarters are now being used to hire security squads to rough up riders for trying
to ride the bus.
*** MUNI FARE STRIKE LEGAL TEAM ***
Despite all the press about $113 to $500 tickets for fare evasion, the Muni fare inspectors on the street yesterday were passing out "sample tickets" that stated that the maximum fine is $75. This confirms what we
have been saying -- namely that the first ticket is $35, the second ticket is $55, and the third and following tickets $75. As previously reported, our Muni Fare Strike Legal Team, working together with the
National Lawyers Guild, is up and running. Our lawyers, will defend anyone who gets a ticket or has other legal problems as a result of the fare strike. If you get a ticket, call our legal team at 285-1011, and let us
defend you. More info on the legal team is at
http://www.munifarestrike.net/8328.html.
THE FARE STRIKE IS ON!
WE ARE NOT PAYING MORE TO WAIT LONGER.
NO MUNI FARE HIKE!
NO MUNI SERVICE CUTS!
NO MUNI LAYOFFS!
Bulletin #5
Friday, September 2, 2005
The fare strike continues, and goes on until Muni reverses its fare hikes, service cuts, and layoffs. Basta!
*** DAY ONE ***
On the first day of the fare strike, Thursday, September 1, Muni mobilized squads of security guards, fare inspectors, administrators and police to combat fare strikers. Some transit locations expected to be hot spots for the fare strike were under virtual occupation by these Muni security teams --particularly in low-income neighborhoods like the Mission where support for the fare strike has been and remains strong.
Yet fare strike organizers continued to agitate at transit hubs like 16th and Mission, 24th and Mission, Geneva and Mission, and the Balboa BART station, right under the nose of the Muni counter-insurgency squads. Often riders getting on or off the bus were virtually surrounded by
Muni security, seeking to prevent fare strike organizers even from handing them a leaflet. But when the Muni squads missed surrounding a particular bus, or backed off a bit, many fare strikers found their way aboard.
Despite Muni's show of force and intimidation tactics, hundreds of fare strikers boarded Muni at these occupied transit hubs during the course of the day. There were a few tickets handed out, but most of those have
already been referred to our legal team. More than once, fare
inspectors let several fare strikers get on, then picked off the last one to ticket as an example.
Most significantly, everywhere fare strike organizers went during the course of the day, out-of-sight of the occupied transit hubs, we found riders willing and eager to participate in the fare strike, and found few drivers interested in being the fare police. Reports are still being collected, but it is clear that many, many riders actively participated in Day One of the fare strike, in many different parts of town. The
corporate media has so far concentrated its reports on the occupied transit hubs, and has done little to investigate conditions elsewhere in town.
In the late afternoon, the action shifted downtown. Fare strike
organizers again went head-to-head with a large Muni security squad at 4th and Market, and again we found many riders eager to hear our message. Other
organizers spread out around other parts of downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods, where the Muni security presence was nil, and found a great deal of support. Again, we are still collecting reports of the action downtown in the afternoon.
What became obvious during the course of the day was that the Muni security squads were actually making converts for the movement for transit justice, as many riders were angered to find themselves surrounded by
these squads, blocking their way and slowing down the busses.
In one egregious example, Muni administrators, worried about a crowd of riders waiting to get on through the back doors of an articulated bus at 16th and Mission, ordered the driver to keep the back doors closed, even though there were dozens of riders trying to get out. Instead, Muni
administrators ordered the driver to force riders to get out the front door, which caused a long delay, virtually holding people in the bus hostage for several minutes.
The fare strike continues...
*** THUGS FOR MUNI? ***
The most serious incident we have heard yet started when one of the Muni security people grabbed a man by his pants at 16th and Mission who had entered a bus through the rear door, and dragged him back out into
the street. This illegal and improper action naturally led to an
altercation, with several Muni security people getting involved, who ended up chasing the guy up the street, and roughing him up before the police finally intervened and detained him. It appears that our extra quarters are now being used to hire security squads to rough up riders for trying
to ride the bus.
*** MUNI FARE STRIKE LEGAL TEAM ***
Despite all the press about $113 to $500 tickets for fare evasion, the Muni fare inspectors on the street yesterday were passing out "sample tickets" that stated that the maximum fine is $75. This confirms what we
have been saying -- namely that the first ticket is $35, the second ticket is $55, and the third and following tickets $75. As previously reported, our Muni Fare Strike Legal Team, working together with the
National Lawyers Guild, is up and running. Our lawyers, will defend anyone who gets a ticket or has other legal problems as a result of the fare strike. If you get a ticket, call our legal team at 285-1011, and let us
defend you. More info on the legal team is at
http://www.munifarestrike.net/8328.html.
THE FARE STRIKE IS ON!
WE ARE NOT PAYING MORE TO WAIT LONGER.
NO MUNI FARE HIKE!
NO MUNI SERVICE CUTS!
NO MUNI LAYOFFS!
You succeeded in sneaking on MUNI by staying invisible. Gee, congratulations. Have you ever ridden MUNI before? That's not new or revolutionary, that's the way many people have been riding for years and years. MUNI already knows about that and, in fact, it's the people who have been people doing that for years that accounts for MUNI not making enough money in the first place and needing to raise the fares. Thanks for screwing it up for the rest of us.
"It's only just begun." Keep telling yourself that. Every time the fare goes up MUNI loses some riders. They know this. They knew this two years ago. They knew this ten years ago. They know they operate in a town with a huge number of uninformed protester kids who just love to feel important and they're ready for it.
They're also ready for insubordinate drivers. I took the bus yesterda (which I rarely do) and the first bus driver was not collecting fares. I was like, "damn, these kids might be onto something," and then MUNI got my $1.50 anyway because I needed to get back home and the driver for that bus wasn't taking no BS.
"It's only just begun." Keep telling yourself that. Every time the fare goes up MUNI loses some riders. They know this. They knew this two years ago. They knew this ten years ago. They know they operate in a town with a huge number of uninformed protester kids who just love to feel important and they're ready for it.
They're also ready for insubordinate drivers. I took the bus yesterda (which I rarely do) and the first bus driver was not collecting fares. I was like, "damn, these kids might be onto something," and then MUNI got my $1.50 anyway because I needed to get back home and the driver for that bus wasn't taking no BS.
<<MUNI already knows about that and, in fact, it's the people who have been people doing that for years that accounts for MUNI not making enough money in the first place and needing to raise the fares.>>
Not true. Muni "needs" to raise fares because the SF capitalist class--which couldn't operate without Muni--doesn't pay up. Muni is a subsidy to downtown business. If we don't pay they'll run the busses and trains anyway.
People fare struck Muni by going through the back--*in much larger numbers than usual*--AND by walking through the front door, smiling, and takign a ride on without paying.
Not true. Muni "needs" to raise fares because the SF capitalist class--which couldn't operate without Muni--doesn't pay up. Muni is a subsidy to downtown business. If we don't pay they'll run the busses and trains anyway.
People fare struck Muni by going through the back--*in much larger numbers than usual*--AND by walking through the front door, smiling, and takign a ride on without paying.
in the legal link at http://www.socialstrike.net. the organizers would like to correct it.
For more information:
http://www.socialstrike.net
The following is written by a friend about his experiences during the first day of the fare strike:
I was greeted by 4 motorcycle cops at 7:00 in the morning occupying the site where we held the press conference on the northeast corner. They were accompanied by a trio of really eager Muni goons trying to shout me down.
Instead of hanging the banners and placards, I set my stuff down inside the bus stop and started handing out flyers. My strategy was to get up right at the door when the bus arrived, greet the drivers and remind them of the strike while i attempted to escort people onto the bus for free.
Out of about 8 full bus loads that I approached early on, I would say that more than half of the people without fast passes were getting on for free.
This came to an abrupt end when two paddywagons of pigs showed up with an entire team of Muni suits. The cops pulled me away from my post at the door of the bus saying i was obstructing something-or-other while the goons and suits took over the front of the line to enforce fare payment with a stick.
Gerry and some press from SF State arrived at about this time as more cops arrived and the whole thing became an absurd police state. We continued flyering as more people from social strike and other friends began to show up.
With XX from Social Strike I began giving out transfers which became a quick success. People were coming up to me from all sides trying to get the mock transfers and using them to ride. The cops quickly zoomed in on the this and tried to accost XX and take his transfers. XX defended himself honorably claiming that it was not counterfeit or illegal in any way.He challenged them to try to stop him and they were left dumbfounded.
Within moments they moved toward me, telling me I was detained and to give them my information. They created a ring of about 7 or 8 cops around me while I created a ruckus with a hundred or so folks milling around and waiting for the bus. They eventually gave me a verbal warning after talking to headquarters for a while.
This is a bit of a ramble, i'll hit the highlights.
An entire group of riders heading up 24th was totally receptive to the fare strike. While talking with people and flyering, two older latina women started talking and yelling things against the fare hike. One thing they started to say was, "no fare increase, we need a wage increase". 9 out of 10 people were getting really riled up and the buses were coming really late. The bus arrived while the suits were off somewhere in a huddle. People started to get on and the driver, who was a huge man, got pissed off, stood up and told people to come back. We started talking him down with numerous riders while everyone just filed in and took their seats for free. The driver was mainly scared and perplexed. His tensions from the morning had hit a boiling point, the drivers were all on center stage. Though we had made every effort to talk with as many drivers as possible before and during strike day 1, many felt the strain of being trapped between angry riders and the heavy management and police surveillance.
On the flip side, another driver on Mission coming from 16th St. stopped at the light, honked his horn, yelled out and then for all to see (including pigs and suits) held up a piece of paper with the New Fare $1.50 logo and ripped it to shreds.
Two women and one of their sons began to flyer and motivate others not to pay. They played really pivotal roles in setting the tenor for the entire morning. They drew numerous people in and gave a whole new feel to our efforts.
One of these women assisted another woman who boarded without paying. The driver stopped the bus and said he wouldn't move until she payed. She finally got up and payed "everything she had" and went back. Since she couldn't make the new fare the driver remained planted while numerous people talked and pleaded with him. She eventually got off the bus, but not before attracting numerous people to idea of not paying. At this time i handed her and everyone els a mock transfer and they successfully got boarded the next bus.
Another woman with two kids got on the bus without paying and stayed put until a hidden fare inspector came out of the darkness and took them off the bus and cited them. The press swooned in on this one and the brave woman adamantly stated that she had no plans to pay the fare increase.
Ok, enough for now.
The collective effort on this project has been amazing and inspiring. I agree fully with Ian that this thing must take on a life of its own. We must quickly act to maintain the momentum. An open meeting this weekend is imperative.
I was greeted by 4 motorcycle cops at 7:00 in the morning occupying the site where we held the press conference on the northeast corner. They were accompanied by a trio of really eager Muni goons trying to shout me down.
Instead of hanging the banners and placards, I set my stuff down inside the bus stop and started handing out flyers. My strategy was to get up right at the door when the bus arrived, greet the drivers and remind them of the strike while i attempted to escort people onto the bus for free.
Out of about 8 full bus loads that I approached early on, I would say that more than half of the people without fast passes were getting on for free.
This came to an abrupt end when two paddywagons of pigs showed up with an entire team of Muni suits. The cops pulled me away from my post at the door of the bus saying i was obstructing something-or-other while the goons and suits took over the front of the line to enforce fare payment with a stick.
Gerry and some press from SF State arrived at about this time as more cops arrived and the whole thing became an absurd police state. We continued flyering as more people from social strike and other friends began to show up.
With XX from Social Strike I began giving out transfers which became a quick success. People were coming up to me from all sides trying to get the mock transfers and using them to ride. The cops quickly zoomed in on the this and tried to accost XX and take his transfers. XX defended himself honorably claiming that it was not counterfeit or illegal in any way.He challenged them to try to stop him and they were left dumbfounded.
Within moments they moved toward me, telling me I was detained and to give them my information. They created a ring of about 7 or 8 cops around me while I created a ruckus with a hundred or so folks milling around and waiting for the bus. They eventually gave me a verbal warning after talking to headquarters for a while.
This is a bit of a ramble, i'll hit the highlights.
An entire group of riders heading up 24th was totally receptive to the fare strike. While talking with people and flyering, two older latina women started talking and yelling things against the fare hike. One thing they started to say was, "no fare increase, we need a wage increase". 9 out of 10 people were getting really riled up and the buses were coming really late. The bus arrived while the suits were off somewhere in a huddle. People started to get on and the driver, who was a huge man, got pissed off, stood up and told people to come back. We started talking him down with numerous riders while everyone just filed in and took their seats for free. The driver was mainly scared and perplexed. His tensions from the morning had hit a boiling point, the drivers were all on center stage. Though we had made every effort to talk with as many drivers as possible before and during strike day 1, many felt the strain of being trapped between angry riders and the heavy management and police surveillance.
On the flip side, another driver on Mission coming from 16th St. stopped at the light, honked his horn, yelled out and then for all to see (including pigs and suits) held up a piece of paper with the New Fare $1.50 logo and ripped it to shreds.
Two women and one of their sons began to flyer and motivate others not to pay. They played really pivotal roles in setting the tenor for the entire morning. They drew numerous people in and gave a whole new feel to our efforts.
One of these women assisted another woman who boarded without paying. The driver stopped the bus and said he wouldn't move until she payed. She finally got up and payed "everything she had" and went back. Since she couldn't make the new fare the driver remained planted while numerous people talked and pleaded with him. She eventually got off the bus, but not before attracting numerous people to idea of not paying. At this time i handed her and everyone els a mock transfer and they successfully got boarded the next bus.
Another woman with two kids got on the bus without paying and stayed put until a hidden fare inspector came out of the darkness and took them off the bus and cited them. The press swooned in on this one and the brave woman adamantly stated that she had no plans to pay the fare increase.
Ok, enough for now.
The collective effort on this project has been amazing and inspiring. I agree fully with Ian that this thing must take on a life of its own. We must quickly act to maintain the momentum. An open meeting this weekend is imperative.
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