Video of yesterday’s scuffle with police, courtesy of contributor Nilanjan Nag.
The man who was arrested as part of the occupation of the abandoned Sierra SRO hotel on 20th and Mission was cited for obstruction of an officer and resisting arrest. He was then released from custody, according to Matt Crain, spokesman for Homes Not Jails, the group responsible for the occupation.
The rest of the occupation ended at around 9 this morning. “About 15 folks spent the night,” said Crain. “About six left before 9 a.m., and noticed a little police presence outside.”
Protesters had eluded police the previous day by barricading themselves inside the building using the hotel’s security gate. But at about 9:30, the property manager arrived and unlocked the gate.
“The people inside were told by police that if they didn’t leave, they would be arrested,” Crain said. “And so they left, peacefully. When they got outside, they realized that the property owner wasn’t actually there with police, just the property manager, and so they could have stayed longer.” Either the property owner or someone with power of attorney needs to be physically on the site in order to ask police to arrest a person for trespassing.
Nine people were arrested at a similar protest last year, largely because the owner, Ed Litke, was there in person.
“It’s likely that building will remain vacant,” said Crain. “At least until next year rolls around.”
Give everyone a living wages and there won’t be any need for any cops. There wouldn’t be any crime
haha, “give”. yeah, that sounds like a great idea. Lets just support everyone…. No need for personal responsibility or any kind of work ethic huh? Lets just let the government support everyone with the unlimited funds that they have.
Yet another instance of police overstepping their authority… it’s sickening as there’s nothing we can do as citizens withoutbgetting arrested ourselves! And any politicians that try to do so are labeled as “being soft on crime” by their re-election adversaries and the heavy-handed police union! It’s beyond frustrating and just sad where the system is heading… I once had police officer (a woman actually, perhaps a chip on her soldier I’m sure from being ridiculed by her male counterparts) tell me “your mom is a whore” (without even knowing my mom) only to get a rise out of me so that I could be arrested… if I countered in anyway, even verbally, I’m sure I would have been VIOLENTLY tackled/handcuffed/humiliated/etc (i.e. “detained”), though luckily I realized immediately what she was doing (inciting me) and kept my cool… in fact, I’ve NEVER had a good experience with an SFPD officer (other cities, the vast majority have been good)–why is that and is it coincidence that they’re also some of the highest paid in the country? I think, like most corporations have figured out, that when you get paid too much you get comfortable and out yourself on a pedestal thinking you’re more powerful than you really are (that is, at some point getting paid more makes you less productive)! I was assaulted with a knife once and waited 45 minutes for the police to show up after 13 911 calls! In fact, the SFFD ambulance scared my attackers away as they couldn’t continue to wait for the police (and their conscience drove them to go above and beyond their duty thank god for me)… and the municipal gov’t wants to scale down the SFFD while paying the SFPD more? it’s sick! they should pay all the officers half as much and hire twice as many, so at least the greater presence would help in preventing crime since their actions (or lack thereof) certainly don’t from my extensive encounters (primarily as a witness)… I also once saw an officer drive right on by after slowing down while an innocent couple was being mugged! The police seem to think it’s their job nowadays to CONTROL when it’s really to PROTECT, and SERVE! Long lost notions… ask yourself why people become police officers in the current era? No longer to kids grow up looking up to them and dreaming of being one, but instead it’s power-hungry high school jocks/bullies who squandered all their other options with bad choices and picking on people while young rather than working/studying hard (not all I realize, BUT MANY)… that and, as with my encounter with the female officer, woman who have chips on their shoulders and use the badge as a means to vent/assert authority! Again, just sad and that we can’t do anything about it… I really wish I could joint the SFPD, with the sole goal of getting into the Internal Affairs department and trying to alleviate this obvious problem from the inside out!
Back to the video… it’s obvious in such that the gentleman VIOLENTLY TACKELED/”DETAINED” was doing nothing more than peacefully standing in the doorway, which from what I read is perfectly legal and the police lied to these people and kicked them out prematurely before the owner showed up to request them be arrested for trespassing (that he may NOT have even wanted to do)!
Shame on the officer who was walking by him, shouldered him, and then AGGRESSIVELY PUSHED HIM (in a manner such that if any of us did that to another we’d be arrested for assault)–then, if that wasn’t enough the officer didn’t just let it go, but instead looked like he needed to justify his actions in his favor so reacted as if the victim was a criminal and went on to arrest him in a very humiliating and DOWNRIGHT WRONG manner! The officer should be arrested! Once again, it’s just sick what they get away with and how they turn themselves the aggressors, into victims!!! As we all know, police officers have to deal with some pretty crazy/bad people very often, but they shouldn’t then turn these experiences on the rest of society, just cause nobody chooses to, or can, stop them! As with all high stress jobs, if they can’t handle the stress they should be fired–instead, there’s this thing called the police union that perpetuates these issues and seems like an unstoppable force (considering any politicians that do so are blacklisted and labeled as “soft on crime” in smear campaigns…) I pray every Sunday for the wisdom and guidance to control myself, stay calm, and that one day these issues will be admitted to/prevented by our elected officials and the police union itself… needless to say, I’m not holding my breath–SAD!!!!! :'(