Vandalizing protesters go on rampage in SF's Mission District

[IamK]

Source: KTVU.com

SAN FRANCISCO —

Police in riot gear were on alert outside the Mission District station Monday night after a rowdy group of protesters splattered the station entrance with paint and smashed windows with crowbars.

A group of approximately 50 protesters, many of them dressed in black, targeted the station with the attack at around 9:15 p.m., Sgt. Daryl Fong said. Vandals wielding crowbars smashed windows and threw paint at the station, located in the 600 block of Valencia Street, according to police.

After initially focusing on the station, the group moved down Valencia Street smashing car windshields and windows to nearby businesses. A BMW SUV was reportedly be lit on fire with a flare, causing extensive damage to the vehicle.

Read more: http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/sfpd-responding-vandalism-mission-district/nNNT6/

[IamK]

1. sad...

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/san_francisco&id=8642977

[KeepItReal]

2. Did the authorities recognize any of their own?

"Jesse Smith, a protester with Occupy Oakland, said the evening started with a peaceful gathering at Dolores Park and he was horrified by the turn of events.

Smith said he was "more than a little shaken" by the vandalism and did not know who was responsible.

"I know Occupiers," Smith said. "None of us have any idea who they were." "

[tomp]

3. agent provocateurs. nt

[rosesaylavee]

8. + 1000

Exactly. And I hope someone took some pics of some of the individuals involved for identification.

[hack89]

10. "Agent provocateurs" can't be the knee-jerk response to everything bad with OWS

why is it so hard to admit that a broad, leaderless movement will attract fringe elements that wish to use OWS to advance their particular agenda? It is not a reflection on the vast majority of OWS supporters but simply an acknowledgement of reality.

[KurtNYC]

24. What if the Oakland PD admit to, even brag about, infiltrating Black Bloc ?

In 2003 the Oakland, CA Police Dept infiltrated a group of peaceful anti-war protestors at the port. Oakland police captain Howard Jordan said "You don't need to have some special skill to infiltrate these groups. Two of our officers were elected leaders within an hour of joining the group. So if you put people in there from the beginning, I think we'd be able to gather information and maybe even direct them to do something that we want them to do."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5626076

there's reality

[EFerrari]

27. Yep.

[hack89]

29. So one 9 year old incident proves every time it is an "agent provocateur" ?

that is not reality.

[KurtNYC]

33. There are many recent incidents of infiltration and agent provacteurism

The editor of American Standard ran into the National Air Space Museum and provoked pepper spray 5 months ago:
http://my.firedoglake.com/cgrapski/2011/10/09/american-standard-editor-admits-to-being-agent-provacateur-at-d-c-museum/

Occupy is a horizontally organized non-violent movement. If you go into the streets to commit violence you aren't Occupy.

[hack89]

35. "You aren't Occupy." leaves plenty of room for other groups besides the police

that's all I am saying. Black bloc comes immediately to mind.

[happerbolic]

67. exclusionary groups will most likely form as a result...

as does what always takes place when a system like ours is in place that works against the true basic 'needs' of it's people (notice i didn't say 'individuals' - any Ron Paul Lurkers )

It would be great at this time, if some larger (backed) causes would look outward at other worth while movements, and vice versa, to co-opt support toward one another without getting too bureaucratic about it.

[LanternWaste]

60. No more and no less than your premise proves it was OWS...

No more and no less than your premise proves it was OWS...

[hack89]

61. I am not saying it was OWS

I said that OWS events attract fringe groups (non-OWS) that have their own agendas. Some of those groups are troublemakers. My point is that OWS supporters look stupid when they blame every such incident on the police.

[Octafish]

26. This.

British commandos arrested in civilian clothes after shooting dead an Iraqi policeman who'd approached their car, which, for some reason, was filled with bomb-making gear. Rather than explaining it to a judge, the British sent in tanks to bust them out of jail.



Iraqi prison stormed by British tanks and helicopters

"It works the same in every country." -- Reichsmarschall Hermann Wilhelm Göring

[suffragette]

28. Yes, this is truly an "acknowledgment of reality."

As was the case at Montebello protest:

Police accused of using provocateurs at summit
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2962268



Quebec police admit they went undercover at Montebello protest
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2964654#2965427

[hack89]

30. So one incident means every incident must be the same?

I am not denying that such things happen - it doesn't mean that every outrage associated with OWS is therefore the actions of "agent provocateurs" . Use some logic here.

[KurtNYC]

36. The many incidents we have documented beats the big zero you have.

It is called "Occupy" -- not "Smash Starbucks", not "Light up Beemers", and not "Black Bloc."

Occupy is defined by its tactics -- non-violent tactics.

[hack89]

37. Can you at least admit that OWS events will attract other groups

that will take advantage of OWS for their own agenda's - groups other than the police?

[KurtNYC]

55. Can you admit that if OWS was violent the police wouldn't need to use APs?

It is a logical conclusion after all.

[hack89]

57. I don't think OWS is violent

I don't think that all the violence is due to police APs. The police and OWS are not the only players in this dance.

[saras]

34. Why is it so hard to admit that those people ARE agent provocateurs - that's EXACTLY what they are.

An agent provocateur doesn't have to be PAID by the police, they just have to sympathize with their aims (typically martial law is the only aim of agent provocateurs)

[hack89]

43. Why is it so hard to admit that those people may not sympathize with the police

but have entirely separate agendas? You have reality separated neatly into black and white - the world I live in is a lot more complicated.

I am just pointing out that it makes OWS look stupid when their only response to incidents like this is "agent provocateur".

[Luminous Animal]

46. It's hard not to blame "agent provateurs" when every single SF Occupier that I know

that was there didn't recognize any of the vandals that they saw. Furthermore, Occupiers who attempted to intervene were physically threatened by these vandals. As were medics and live streamers.

[Enrique]

39. it's a reasonable response to this story

imho

[hack89]

44. Why?

Besides there being no evidence and Black bloc / anarchist also have a history of pulling shit like this?

[Enrique]

47. police also have a history of it

the evidence never comes out at the time, it always comes out years later.

[hack89]

50. How convenient for you

how many years do we have to wait?

[Enrique]

53. I'm just telling you what I think

I read this story and I don't think these people have anything to do with Occupy.

[hack89]

56. Never said it was.

I am talking about the reflexive response to blame in on police provocateurs. There is plenty of room for other groups besides OWS and the police.

[Luminous Animal]

48. There are plenty of non-violent peaceful anarchists. Anarchists in San Francisco were

at the forefront of feeding the homeless during the Occupation.

[hack89]

52. Never said there wasn't - a "stereotypical" anarchist is an oxymoron. nt

[JDPriestly]

65. But who are the fringe elements?

And of what movement are they the fringe?

They are not necessarily Occupy-related. They may just be troublemakers who used Occupy as a cover.

Could they be Ron Paul libertarian types? White Supremacy types?

The Occupy movement is very clearly dedicated to nonviolence, at least in the Los Angeles area.

This is inconsistent with what I have experienced when I visited the Occupy camps and participated in the 99% training.

[hack89]

66. I am not saying they are OWS

I am questioning the common attitude that they are the police. You are absolutely right that there are many potential groups from across the political spectrum that could use OWS to advance their own agendas.

[DallasNE]

69. Almost Certainly Anarchists

Don't they dress in black? In Oakland they mingled in with Occupy people then broke off and went on a rampage. Occupy needs more security in the Bay area to physically remove the suspected anarchists.

[Ford_Prefect]

4. Sounds like the old days of Cointelpro FBI provacation teams hiding in the Peace groups.

Although this does sound over the top for regular police officers it does not for tactical or special teams. Even more likely that it may have been some hidden part of Homeland Security doing its thing. Just suppose for a moment that Blackwater or some other part of the Shadow Army for Hire had a crew on assignment to disrupt and discredit peaceful and lawful protest by such an act. Or could it be some of the local Rethug Tea Party membership letting off a little steam?

Why were there no slogans or signs left on the site of the "outrage". No Graffiti? I don't think so!

[NuttyFluffers]

5. it's really a pity when law enforcement try to break their own stuff

but maybe they feel assured that they'll get more of the budget once they ramp up the fear levels...

qui bono, people. qui bono.

[Proletariatprincess]

6. I suspect that the SF Bay Area is being targeted by Agent Provocateaurs

The Powers To Be are afraid of we leftys here on the West Coast and they are attempting to discredit the movement on the eve of May Day. I say this because the police have been especially militant against demonstrators in both San Francisco and Oakland. This event seems to have no logic. Why attack a police station? Why no graffiti? I just don't buy it.
But it won't stop the activists here. There are just too many of us. Those of us too old or sick to demonstrate on the streets, are taking other actions and defending those who do.

[AngryAmish]

11. Agreed, I saw it on the No True Scotsman Channel

[EFerrari]

12. Definitely.

Whenever I see a headline like this, it feels just like old times in the Bay Area.

lol

[progressivebydesign]

64. Sigh. Nope. these are the usual angst filled teen boys.

the ones that graduated from vandalizing their upper middle class high schools to this. They even get to dress in costumes. How adorable. Sorry, but I'm in Seattle, and these guys are REAL, and they're idiots.

[Cirque du So-What]

7. The occupy movement

would do well to avoid and isolate these provocateurs.

[Occulus]

16. It doesn't make any difference

As hack89 proved above.

(Occupy could have the provocateurs dead to right and it would make no difference to Certain Parties)

[Dogtown]

20. Some

agent provocateurs don black fatigues, others hide behind keyboards because they haven't got the grapes to actually light a fire.

[hack89]

45. So get these provocateurs dead to right and we can talk

I just see a knee jerk deflection.

[Luminous Animal]

51. How do you propose peaceful protesters do that?

Many of these guys were armed with bats and metal poles. Occupiers who tried to intervene were physically threatened. Live streamers were physically threatened.

[hack89]

54. I was referring to actual evidence that they were police agent provocateurs.

All I said was that is makes OWS look stupid to blame every incident like this on agent provocateurs. That's all.

[Ford_Prefect]

9. Where's the securtiy Video of the event???

With all that anti-terror money there is no Video from the police station cameras? Anyone who filed complaints or Insurance claims on the damages would be looking for proof of timing and witnesses to the event. Where are the police reports and witness interviews?

[happerbolic]

68. excellent point ford...

...they always seem to have it on the 'little' people. I hope Occupy SF makes a large banner for their next event (hopefully in front of that precinct station)

[Eljo_Don]

13. Do something.

The real protesters should form groups to arrest this dressed in black people that are making believe the occupy movement is a violent movement. Show their faces to the world.

[slackmaster]

15. Yes, at least denounce them for once.

[Occulus]

19. For once? Occupy protesters- legitimate ones- have done just that from the beginning.

What's with your "for once" bullshit?

[randome]

21. "None of us have any idea who they were."

Doesn't exactly sound like a denunciation, only the oft-repeated 'THEY'RE not with US!'

Nobody ever gets out of hand as long as they have the word 'Occupy' stamped on their foreheads. Right?

Only bad guys wear black.

[slackmaster]

22. The "legitimate" Occupy protesters do plenty of denouncing, but I don't see them denouncing this one

At least not yet. They ought to be all over it.

Here's a sample of Google search results for "Occupy protesters denounce:"

Occupy protesters denounce police violence at vigil
Occupy protesters denounce indictments - UPI.com
'Occupy' Protesters Denounce Police Actions, Plan Rally
Occupy Wall Street protesters denounce economic equality on ...
Boston protesters denounce raid on Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Protesters Disrobe, Denounce Supreme Court Ruling ...
Occupy protesters denounce indictments
Occupy protesters denounce Mitt Romney
Occupy Toronto plans rally denouncing arrest of five protesters
PressTV - Occupy Houston protesters denounce indictments
Occupy People: Protesters Denounce Bradley Cooper
Occupy protesters denounce indictments | News for Dallas, Texas ...
Occupy protesters denounce indictments
Tweed Protesters Denounce 'Privatization' of Schools

[EFerrari]

25. So, Occupy should just drop everything

in the moments before a huge action and denounce a few trolls?

No.

[slackmaster]

31. Those "few trolls" did a lot of damage. Occupy would do well to help clean up the mess.

When an organization has no vetting process for membership, you can't really say who is a member and who is not.

[EFerrari]

32. That's what trolls do.

And yes, you really can say who is not Occupy when nobody knows them and they try to derail an action that has been planned for weeks.

[LeftinOH]

14. "dressed in black". Hmmmmm. Really? n/t

[chrisa]

17. Then they went home and bought more stuff with mommy and daddy's money. The end.

[progressivebydesign]

63. Seriously love your post. n/t

[drm604]

18. Sounds like Black bloc.

Possibly agent provocateurs.

Notice the wording in the article?

A group of approximately 50 protesters, many of them dressed in black

I'm guessing that the only ones doing the vandalizing were the ones in black.

[Ford_Prefect]

23. Video from just after the "march".

Check out the commentary by Nathan at about 8:23 He explains what he has seen and what he is doing. 1st eyewitness commentary - so far. Total time runs to about 17 minutes.
*********************************
Nathan H - in Oakland for May Day

under the title "4.30.12 OO Smashy Smashy March"

http://www.livestream.com/opdxlive/video?clipId=pla_ae931f2c-660f-45a1-8194-8470e85b5f0f&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb

[Luminous Animal]

38. 40 cops : Zero arrests. Hmmmm.

Dozens flocked to the sidewalk and began yelling, “this is not an Occupy SF action!” while passers-by looked on, concerned.

The group turned on Valencia, continuing to shrink in size and break windows. Within half an hour there were less than 50 people in the march.

About 40 of police on foot followed the march along Valencia, trailing behind as vandalism continued. SFPD representatives were not immediately available for comment, but based on witness accounts there were no arrests.

Neighborhood residents were angered and confused by the destruction. One man who did not wish to be named said, “They kept doing it while other people in the march were trying to get them to stop. It was childish.”

http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2012/05/01/eve-may-day-valencia-mission-police-station-vandalized

[NuttyFluffers]

70. huh, 40 cops, following & watching vandalism, and ZERO arrests. QUI BONO PEOPLE!

damn, how stupid do we think we are?

well i have an answer for that, there's plenty among our populace who are just enough... you only need to fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time. it's easy to foment reactionist rhetoric, enough people refuse to THINK.

[Odin2005]

40. Anti-Occupy Bullshit.

[alp227]

41. DU this Occupy-related poll!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12522462

[Luminous Animal]

42. Eye witness account from an SF Occupier (and he's not happy).

http://scottrossi.tumblr.com/post/22184158717/notes-from-an-occupation-17-dolores-park-ruckus

So, rather than describe what happened (since 340958345 other blogs and news agencies will do just that), I think it is more important to point out who did this. But as I’m about to explain to you, I don’t know that I can do that. You see, I don’t know who, the people I’ll dub as the ‘ringleaders’ of the march were exactly. Nobody did. Yeah some of the aggro people we always have to deal with were there, but these guys weren’t it. You remember those asshole jock bullies in high school? Well that was who was leading the march tonight. Clean cut, athletic, commanding, gravitas not borne of charisma but of testosterone and intimidation. They were decked out in outfits typically attributed to those in the ‘black bloc’ spectrum of tactics, yet their clothes were too new, and something was just off about them. They were very combative and nearly physically violent with the livestreamers on site, and got ignorant with me, a medic, when I intervened and reminded them that I was there to fix them from police violence, not protester on protester violence.

...

Isn’t it funny too, that for the last 6 months of sustained protests, we couldn’t fart sideways without riot police raising their truncheons against us anywhere in the Bay Area, yet these cops weren’t around tonight when the convergence in Dolores Park turned into a march. the 2 squad cars and van that were following us did so at a snail’s pace while the boojie restaurants on 18th street got vandalized. Some more police units on Valencia just let the protest pass, despite it’s obviously destructive intent, and the cops were driving past laughing as their cars were pelted with paint. The laughter is really what betrays something seriously wrong about tonight’s march. For six months, we’re beaten, harassed and arrested at the slightest provocation, park and public lodging rules enforced to the very last dotted ‘i’ and crossed ‘t’, but tonight, they let a pack of vandals run riot down Valencia street.

...

We’ve spent months radicalizing and empowering the Mission, working with and learning from groups who have already been here for decades, trying to use our momentum, enthusiasm and appeal to energize moribound organizations and skittish and apathetic people. We’ve been encouraging people to feel empowered to organize themselves, to get unions for day laborers, to march for and bring attention to our terrible immigration practices, hell the list goes on and on. It’s just convenient that these so called ‘protesters’ acted in such a way to undermine and burn all those bridges we’ve been so carefully building. The destruction was too calculated and precise in it’s seeming randomness to be Black Bloc or even those fucking suburban scumbags who get an anarchist patch at Hot Topic and think that gives them license to come to Oakland or SF and burn shit down.

Like I said, I don’t know who did this, but I am 1000000% certain they were not OccupySF and they were not OccupyOakland. I know the action was marketed as an action against gentrification, but too many regular people suffered tonight. Too many car tires are slashed. An old, brown minivan on the corner of Valencia and Duboce has all the windows busted out and the tires are flat. How is the owner supposed to drive that to work? The point is, the Mission, my neighborhood, a working class neighborhood, albeit one infested with yuppies and hipsters, got fucked up tonight. All that work we’ve been doing is now jeopardized. All the interest in what we were doing that brought people in the Mission to ask OccupySF to help them organize is jeopardized. I’m sure the woman wondering how she’s getting to work in the morning because her car is jacked up now finds her job and way of life jeopardized.

[Enrique]

49. sounds like Blackwater USA

or something similar. I'm sure these people normally work outside the USA.

[Roland99]

58. That should be an OP in and of itself!

[Luminous Animal]

59. Already crossposted at DUs Occupy Underground :)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12522465

[progressivebydesign]

62. Dumbasses.

Sigh. Yeah, nothing says supporting the little guy, than breaking windows of the working people in America. So tired of overprivileged teen boys thinking that they're soooo deep. I know that here on DU people probably support guys like that, but they are hurting people. Who do they think pays the insurance premiums for the businesses they attack or the cars they vandalize? It sure the hell isn't Wall Street or "The Man." They just like violence. I prefer people that actually HELP others.