An Illegal Assembly Against an Illegal War

By Joe Rigney

March 21, 2003

They wrote and called to their elected representatives. They marched with millions of people around the world in permitted demonstrations. They communicated with each other, with family, with friends, and found that there was not unanimous support at home for war. They watched as country after country around the world tried to diffuse the diplomatic situation.

Despite strong public opposition to war, the Bush Administration began its long anticipated attack against Iraq on Thursday morning in Baghdad. By the time Thursday morning dawned in San Francisco, thousands of people were prepared to declare “No More Business As Usual.” They took to the streets, striking the war machine by shutting it down.

Demonstrations started at 7 a.m., with only a few hundred people out. At several intersections on Market St., lines of demonstrators stood across the street, blocking traffic in both directions. Some of the demonstrators had “locked-down,” a protest technique where activists chain themselves together with PVC sleeves over their joined arms. Since these people cannot be picked up all at once, the police must first cut through the lock-down devices before they can make arrests, a very time consuming process.

As the morning progressed, more and more groups appeared on the streets. Police would remove one row of protestors, only to be faced by a new group willing to get arrested for what they believe in. But demonstrators were not content to merely shut down San Francisco through gridlock; specific institutions associated with the war machine were targeted by specific actions. For instance, the Federal Building, the TransAmerica Building (home of the Carlyle Group), and the Bechtel Corporation were effectively shut down by blockades of their doorways.

At times, the demonstration took on a party atmosphere. Boomboxes blaring music, a roving brass band, and troupes of drummers joined the demonstrations, providing entertainment for the resistors in the streets. Although serious in their political motives, activists were still ready to have a good time.

Although inconvenienced, many of the drivers stuck in the gridlock were supportive of the action. Honking and waving peace signs, people in cars cheered as spontaneous marches passed them. One businessman, Raj Sahai, unable to take the day off said, “I’ll be out there on Saturday.”

By the afternoon, thousands of people had converged on downtown San Francisco. Standing in one rally outside the Federal Building, one could see marches and actions passing on nearby streets. Chanting “No justice, no peace, US out of the Middle East,” and “Who’s the biggest terrorist in the world today? George Bush and the USA,” demonstrators made it clear that they will not be silenced in their dissent against war.

People of all ages and races were present. One blockade at the intersection of Third St. and Folsom was coordinated by students from Stanford University. The non-violent demonstrators who sat in the streets for almost two hours before they were arrested included faculty members as well as students, according to Garth Harwood. Other actions included high school and college aged people as well as gray haired grandmothers.

At least some of those fighting in Iraq are not sure of the reason they are there. Wendy Golaszewski from San Francisco told how she has a friend who is now on the front lines. “My friend is fighting a war he doesn’t believe in. He was in the army band, but now he has to fight.” An unidentified woman, visibly upset by recent events, called out through her tears, “It’s too late. They already took away my baby. My son cried and said, ‘I don’t want to kill.’”

 Overall, police violence against demonstrators was subdued. In fact, many demonstrators commented on what they thought was a professional response by San Francisco police. Although they performed their jobs, many of the city police seemed unhappy that they were forced to face off with community members in the streets. Police made a point of warning assembled demonstrators that they were illegally assembled and that if they didn’t get onto the sidewalk, they would be arrested or even hit with batons. And, in the clearest indication that the police were prepared to deal with non-violent protestors in a non-violent way, almost no city police had gas masks, nor was tear gas used during the demonstration.

Demonstrators stayed in the street through the night. Groups marched through the street, blocking intersections and raising the awareness of neighborhoods throughout the city. A group of about 100 people gathered at UN plaza near the Civic Center to hold a candlelit vigil.

With over 1500 arrests, the largest single day arrest number in San Francisco history, and an effective shutdown of the city’s financial district, demonstrators considered the day to be an overwhelming success. “I have never seen anything like this in San Francisco,” said Kama Ji. Nor has anyone in the world. Such a massive mobilization against war as it starts has no historical precedent.

Since legal democratic activities have failed to stop the war, this is likely to be only the first of many large-scale, non-violent direct actions that will occur. As more innocent Iraqis and more US military members die, people around the world will become more and more willing to put themselves in the direct path of the war machine, using their bodies to shut it down. And as people take to the streets in demonstrations planned around the country for this Saturday, more pressure will be put on politicians to stop the Bush Administration’s drive for worldwide conquest.

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