Green Protest on Black Friday

Photos: Leon Kunstenaar / Pro Bono Photo

On Black Friday two groups of abortion rights activists, one starting at Powell and Market and the other, discreetly going to the top floor of the Westfield mall, held a protest for abortion rights.

After a short street rally, the Market Street group entered the mall and quickly conrolled the ground floor with drumming and megaphones blaring.

The twenty or so San Francisco policemen that had been watching the street followed the demonstrators into the mall where they congregated near the door.

The top floor group released green balloons with attached messages that floated down the huge atrium and collected on the floor, many to be scooped up by children and not so children.

Large banners covering the railings of several floors were unfurled from the top floor. They almost seemed like part of the mall's Christmas decorations. On the ground floor, a large lit up light bulb decoration served as a structure on which to add more green banners. Shoppers coming off the ground floor escalator were met by protesters handing out leaflets.

The mall security guards wore natty white shirts and ties that were decorated with official looking emblems. Confronted with the fait accompli of an ongoing demonstration, they mostly looked at each other and made urgent calls on their phones. One made a vain attempt to tear down a banner.

Their action completed, the protesters marched back outside and held another small rally. The police followed them back outside and resumed their duties guarding Powell and Market.

See all high resolution photos here.