170 Arrested in S.F. Protest Against U.S. Troops in Honduras

Authorities arrested 170 people on Monday for trying to block the main entrances to the Federal Building here during a large protest against President Reagan’s ordering of troops to Honduras.

Those arrested were among several hundred demonstrators who chanted anti-war slogans, encircled the building and ignored repeated warnings from police that they were gathered illegally, authorities said.

Shortly after the protest began at 7 a.m., riot-clad police used batons to break up knots of people who had linked arms and stood or sat in front of the building’s doorways to prevent 5,000 federal workers from entering.

Police estimated the number of demonstrators at 500 while organizers of the protest placed the number at 1,000.

Other demonstrators stopped rush-hour traffic on nearby Polk Street for more than 30 minutes and hurled a few news vending machines into the street, witnesses said.

One man who resisted arrest and then tried to run off was allegedly clubbed on the head by an officer. “Other cops put a chokehold on him and took him away bleeding,” activist Richard Becker said. “He was brutally attacked.”

“I don’t know anything about that,” said David Ambrose, a spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department. However, Ambrose acknowledged that police did use batons to “poke or prod” people who failed to move after being ordered to do so.

It was the fourth consecutive day of protests triggered by Reagan’s decision to send 3,200 troops into Honduras after a cross-border Nicaraguan military offensive against the Contras.

On Friday, police arrested about 250 people who attempted to block entrances to the Federal Building. There were more arrests on Saturday when about 5,000 people joined a wild march through city streets and pelted police with bags of garbage and bottles, burned American flags and set bonfires.

“Over the last few days there has been a real outpouring of outrage,” said protest leader Mike Davis. “At times, people have gotten mad and we haven’t had 100% control.”

The demonstrations have been organized by a host of local and nationwide groups including the Nicaraguan Information Group of Berkeley, the People’s Anti-war Mobilization, the Committee on Solidarity with the People of El Salvador and the Pledge of Resistance.

Most of those arrested have been cited for failure to disperse at an unlawful assembly, a misdemeanor, and released, police said.