As a native NORCALITE I am very embarrassed for SF!

[Bennyboy]

I really thought today was a chance for SF to show that it could be the coolest city in the US. As it always has. Protests, but always tasteful. But this crap is just sickening and gives the city a huge black eye. To shut down the tow main arteries throughout he city for hours on end to sneak around is appalling.

I have been to hundreds of protests, parades etc, in SF and they are very heated but mostly non violent. I thought this would go that way today too. But now the world sees that the city is too scared to deal with it at all. So by doing this it makes SF seem to violent to have a peaceful protest when history does not bear that out.

Mayor Newsom, you are an embarrassment once again.

[fascisthunter]

1. What's Wrong?

[Cooley Hurd]

2. So, you're all in favor of the oppresson of Tibet?

...and the US should turn the other way?

:thumbsdown:

[damonm]

3. Way to put words in someone else's mouth - stay classy...

[Cooley Hurd]

5. Stay classy?

...because I believe in human rights?

Blow me...:eyes:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. You do, do you?

So are you planning to protest the Giants game tonight over U.S. human rights violations?

[Bennyboy]

7. HUH?

I am all for protesting. And to avoid it the way they did is just sickening. They could ahve gone down the original route and the protestors would have been heard and it would have been peaceful.

[Cooley Hurd]

8. I agree - I think I misread/misunderstood your OP...

:thumbsup:

[mike_c]

4. not sure I agree...

...but I don't watch the teevee so I don't know how "sickening" this event was. Still, public protest is part of the heart and soul of democracy, so THIS norcalite is not too worried about it.

[AlCzervik]

6. this norcalite didn't see any violence, just protesting. Yes they surrounded the bus carrying

the the unlit torch but no bottles or rocks were thrown at it, just people chanting. I along with you are not too worried about it either.

[lunatica]

9. Peaceful marches get zilch coverage

I've been to many of them since Bush started 'marketing' the Iraq war after his vacation in 2002. Some of those demonstrations had tens of thousands of people in them (like a lot of big cities in the world) and the Media saw fit to ignore them.

Shutting down cities is going to happen a lot more if the government keeps ignoring the people. Let's hope it doesn't come to violence, which is usually started by the police, by the way.

[Bennyboy]

10. I have to wonder how much the Chinese Gov't and the IOC

had to decide to play this cat and mouse game with the torch.

[MzNov]

11. this is War Criminals' America, the outrageous show of force

"we will beat you down" if you protest.

The protests should have been allowed. This is a disgrace and a farce.

[MonkeyFunk]

13. protests ARE being allowed

nobody's being arrested, gassed, herded into paddywagons. No one's being beaten, the media are covering it.

I don't understand the objections. The protests are getting widespread coverage and nobody's being hurt. China is embarrassed. Sounds like a win all around to me.

[ronnykmarshall]

19. My friend the SF SO deputy just tex'd

She's at Drumm near Justin Herman right now. TON of press. Probably more press than protestors and/or supporters.

[MzNov]

22. that's why the show of hundreds of cops

and people being arrested for stepping into the street

[Hell Hath No Fury]

12. This San Franciscan agrees with you!

I just got in fromn the ballpark -- I can't believe they pulled this bait and swtich on us -- it is complete bullshit!! :mad: I am embarrassed that San Francisco has not allowed its citizens full expression -- the people were there, there was NO violence where I was loctaed -- just lots of vocal back and forth -- nothing I haven't seen at a dozen SF marches.

If I find out Newsom was in on this bullshot from the beginning, man, I am going to blow a gasket.

[Cleita]

14. The torch probably shouldn't have been allowed to cross

the USA to begin with, but that would have taken a President who gave a damn about human rights.

[MonkeyFunk]

18. It's not crossing the US

San Francisco is the only US city.

[spanone]

15. knowing how people feel about china, the dumbest place they could have held this is san francisco

[L. Coyote]

17. Maybe someone should explain what the brief history of this is.

Start by assuming people don't know what you are talking about, please.

[kestrel91316]

20. Why do you hate the First Amendment? SERIOUSLY.

[Bennyboy]

21. SERIOUSLY read the original post.....

I am pissed that they took the torch out of the zone where the protesters are....I was sure that SF would have been very protestorial but also peaceful....