"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." J.F.K.
Black Lives Matter protest against police brutality, San Francisco, July 9. 2016.
(Originally posted on SFBay, a news website for the San Francisco Bay Area. Go here for the full story --->>>)
For a full-size image, click on any photograph. Hit either delete, backspace or back page to go back.
On January 20, 2012, the anti-war groups Dancers Without Borders and Code Pink staged a flash mob performance in front of Bank of America, on California Street in San Francisco, during Occupy Wall Street West.
October 25, 2011. After police threatened to arrest everyone standing in the street and use tear gas to clear the area, most protesters left this spot to march around Oakland. One demonstrator, however, remained defiantly at the intersection of Broadway and 14th Street. Jeff Fudenna said he's a Buddhist and he chose "the middle way" of action. Police took no action to remove him.
Oct. 15, 2011. Civic Center, San Francisco.
The Occupy movement went international with a Global Day of Action, as protesters in Toronto, Rome, Manila, London, Tokyo and Melbourne marched in solidarity with those in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C., Fairbanks of Alaska, Burlington of Vermont, Rapid City of South Dakota, Sacramento of California, Raleigh of North Carolina, Tucson and Phoenix of Arizona, and Cheyenne of Wyoming.
An Occupy Wall Street website claimed that Occupy Wall Street demonstrations were held at more than 950 cities in 82 countries.
Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011, Elizabeth "Lizzy" Plotkin improvised on her violin for the Occupy San Francisco protesters on Market Street, as they passed by United Nations Plaza. Lizzy said she is from a town of about 1,500 people called Crested Butte, Colorado, and happened to be traveling through San Francisco when she joined Occupy. Her sign says "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot nothing is going to get better. It's not."
During Occupy Wall Street West on January 20, 2012, in front of the Bank of America at 555 California Street, the group Iraq Veterans Against the War staged a mock interrogation of US citizens, a la' interrogations of Iraqis during the war in Iraq. A spokesman for the group said this was done to protest President Obama signing the National Defense Authorization Act, that critics say includes language threatening the Habeas Corpus rights of the people.
Jan. 14, 2009, Oakland CA.
Protest against the shooting of Oscar Grant III by a BART police officer.
On New Year's Day at the Fruitvale BART station, Oscar Grant III was killed by a BART police officer who was attempting to break up a fight. A number of witnesses used their cell phones and other video devices to film the incident and it became a YouTube phenomenon. On Jan. 14, 2009, former BART officer Johannes Mehserle, 27, was arrested and has been charged with Grant's murder. That same evening 18 people were arrested in Oakland after a mostly peaceful demonstration turned ugly at the end.
Aug. 2000, Los Angeles -- Protest during the Democratic National Convention against U.S. immigration policies, sweatshops and the explotation of illegal immigrants.
Circa May, 1992, Los Angeles -- Student protest against the verdict of a jury in Simi Valley, which found four white LAPD officers 'not guilty' in the beating of black motorist Rodney King.
June 6, 2009, San Francisco -- Members of the anti-war group Code Pink joined a protest by Palestinians in United Nations Plaza, commemorating the 42nd anniversary of the occupation of the Gaza strip by Israeli forces.
May 29, 2010, San Francisco -- As the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the SF Giants got underway, hundreds of people picketed and chanted slogans in front of AT&T Park, protesting against the owner of the Arizona baseball team, Ken Kendrick, because of his past support for that state's new anti-illegal immigrant law Senate Bill 1070.
March 19, 2008, San Francisco -- At a protest against the war in Iraq, these anti-war demonstrators staged a "die-in" at the intersection of Market and Third Streets, where they were surrounded by police and arrested.
June 8, 2004, San Francisco -- A demonstrator is arrested at Fifth and Market Streets after the intersection was closed down because of a protest against the world's largest biotechnology convention, Biotechnology Industry Organization 2004, held at nearby Moscone Center. Protesters were concerned that corporations have too much control of biotech research and that research is profit-driven, with the result that potentially beneficial applications which are not profitable will not be pursued.
Jan. 26, 2004, San Francisco -- Reputed to be a "Living Buddha," Trulku Tenzin Delek (Ahan Zhaxi before he was ordained a Buddhist monk), faces a death sentence with a two-year reprieve. The Chinese government said he confessed to several terrorist bombings, however, followers said he is being framed and that any confession would certainly have been coerced.
International criticism of China was sparked when it was reported that his alleged co-conspirator, Lobsang Dhondup, was executed that same day.
Here Lara Cushing, 24, of Berkeley, attached a sign to herself as she dangled from a tree by a halter underneath her robe, in front of the Chinese embassy in San Francisco. Cushing and two other activists - Jamyang Wangden, 27 and Jene Despain, 25, shouted “Free Tibet! China stop the execution!”
The women on the balcony are from San Francisco and they were arrested for misdemeanor tresspassing, cited and later released. All three of them are associates of the Ruckus Society, based in Oakland, California, which trains and supports activists in "monkeywrenching" and other non-violent strategies or tactics with a goal of creating social change. Cushing was arrested for misdemeanor illegally fixing a sign to a tree and was also later cited and released.
Oct. 25, 2003, San Francisco -- Mystery Solved: As for what really happened to those Weapons of Mass Destruction, Hillary Langolf and Mark Hampton of the activist group insanereagan.com have an interesting theory of their own.
Jan. 1, 2007, Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the anti-war activist organization CodePink, was arrested by California Highway Patrol officers as she attempted to walk onto the Golden Gate Bridge to demonstrate against the Iraq war, without a permit to protest on the bridge.
Circa 2004, San Francisco -- Protest against the war in Iraq, in the Hayes Valley area.
June 5, 2004, San Francisco -- A man who would only identify himself as "Captain Nash" (left) of Concord, California, argued for supporting the war in Iraq with an unidentified war opponent.
Nov. 2, 2005, San Francisco -- Ben Taecker-Wyss, 14, pounds on a plastic bucket and shouts anti-Bush slogans with other Berkeley High School students marching down Market Street, including Kate Mexer, 14, Elysa McGuire, 13, Jared Huxley, 14, Carson Young, 14 and Hardy Barddal, 15. Between 2,000 and 3,000 demonstrators called for President Bush to resign and asked people to walk off campus or out of work on a weekday to send the same message. The rally and march were organized by a group calling itself The World Can't Wait -- a coalition of leftist groups that range from communist revolutionaries to a reverend and a California state assemblyman. The one thing these people all had in common is that they want the president to step down and maybe take the vice president with him.
Sept. 28, 2003, San Francisco -- Six months after the war began, the killing in Iraq continued and so did resistance to it. These women entertained people with anti-war songs and tunes critical of the Patriot Act.
Easter Sunday, 2007, CodePink protest against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on the Golden Gate Bridge. This time they had a permit to protest.
March 20, 2006, San Francisco -- Kara Brodfuehrer of San Francisco, right with faux rifle, played prison guard at a demonstration that shut down the intersection of Market and Montgomery Streets in front of US Senator Diane Feinstein's office during the morning rush hour. "We want to show opposition to Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. We're still opposed to this war. We're still here. It's still and unjust war," Brodfuehrer said. More than 100 people joined the group Act Against Torture in a protest calling for the Democratic party leader to help 'end the practices of torture, arbitrary and indefinite detention, and extraordinary rendition' among other demands. Demonstrators began the protest shortly after 8 a.m. and the intersection was cleared by 9 a.m.
Feb. 16, 2003, San Francisco -- She couldn't speak to give her name but her dress and art spoke volumes. It said 'Let us remember September 11, 2001 but do not forget Venezuela, Afghanistan, Sudan, Iraq.'
Dec. 29, 2008 -- San Francisco -- For about an hour during the evening rush hour, protesters against the bombing of Palestinians in Gaza by Israeli forces blocked the intersection of Market and Montgomery streets, completely stopping traffic in that area of downtown.
The demonstration started when they gathered in front of and then across the street from the office of US Sen. Dianne Feinstein for a candlelight vigil, to show opposition for her support of Israel. They then marched over to Union Square and protested across the street from Macy's; then on to the Powell St. turnaround and across the street from the San Francisco Shopping Center, where they stopped and shouted "while you go shopping, bombs are dropping!"
Jan. 19, 2008, San Francisco -- Pro Life march from the Embarcadero to Ft. Mason, on the 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision Roe vs. Wade.