THE WHOLE LOCKDOWN THING



From the SF Chron:

In a protest aimed at shutting down the Pacific Stock Exchange, hundreds of anti-war marchers gathered in downtown San Francisco this morning, blocking streets and snarling traffic.

The demonstrators failed to close the exchange. "We had absolutely no disruptions to trading," said stock exchange spokesman John Werts.

About 70 protesters have been arrested. Most were held for minor charges but a handful allegedly resisted arrest, San Francisco police said. Among those in custody are the former president of the Pacific Stock Exchange, Warren Langley, Sister Bernie Galvan of the group Religious Witness for the Homeless, and Father Louis Vitale of St. Boniface Church.

Protesters sitting in the street have also blocked San Francisco Municipal Railway busses, trolleys and street cars along Market Street between Van Ness Avenue and First Street. A Muni spokesman says to expect major delays.

Demonstrators continue to stand with locked arms at the gates of the Mills Building, located on Montgomery Street, and according to police will most likely be arrested if they fail to move from the site.

San Francisco police officers dressed in riot gear are monitoring the demonstration and about 12 motorcycle officers are diverting morning traffic away from the protest. Police have made an announcement that they are prepared to arrest demonstrators who refuse to move from the street.

I must say, I am thoroughly conflicted about actions such as this one, organized by Direct Action to Stop the War.

There are low-income workers, trying to support 4 kids or something, who use public transportation to get to and from work. They may oppose the war rather strongly, but they do need to support their families and keep themselves above water. This sort of protest strategy doesn't bode well for them. All those normal working SFers, who aren't part of the war machine, who lose income, who get shit from daycare centers because they were late picking up the kids, etc, those would be considered "collateral damage" from the actions of those involved in the protest. I thought we were better than Bush!

Also, consider what Bush let the honchos at Duke Energy, Enron and others do to California's power supply. You really think Dubya gives a shit about California being shut down?

But then again, for the protest movement to really make a difference, it has to be present in many forms as much of the time as possible. This is how some people do it, though it is probably not how I'd do it. In my case, I run this teeny little blog, I write songs, I sign petitions, I call representatives, I talk to my peers and others, I march, I make love not war, and more. Other people try to block intersections and get arrested for the same cause, and inasmuch as one understands that the local consequences of such actions are greater than the shutting down of a stock exchange or a street, that's okay.