S.F. Calls in Riot Police to Clear War Protesters

Riot-clad police used clubs and chemical Mace to clear the streets today, making dozens of arrests as thousands of activists blockaded entrances to the Federal Building and roamed through the city in a noisy protest against the threat of war in the Persian Gulf.

Arrests began about 10 a.m. in front of the Federal Building after a face-to-face confrontation between demonstrators who linked arms at the main entrances and police standing between them and the doors.

Police could not immediately specify the number of arrests or the charges on which the arrests were based.

After a few people were pulled into the 20-story building and arrested, demonstrators sat on the steps and began singing the John Lennon song, “Give Peace a Chance.”

Arrests continued as screams and yelling were heard above the crowd, which chanted, “No war, no way, the Federal Building is closed today!”

Among those arrested was Associated Press photographer Sal Veder, who apparently was caught in a police sweep at the intersection of Turk Street and Van Ness Avenue, a few blocks from the building.

Several hundred protesters marched down busy Market Street toward the Embarcadero, blocking intersections under the watchful eye of police. Some gathered at the Chevron Building in the financial district, at the Pacific Stock Exchange and at the Mills Tower building.

“I think because there are thousands of them (demonstrations) happening all over the country, this is our only hope,” said Darla Rucker, a spokeswoman for the anti-war group Pledge of Resistance, at the Federal Building.

“I think it’s the only thing that will work right now. We’re on our way to war, and civil unrest is the only thing that will stop it.”

“This is really scary, scary because there’s such a lack of respect for human life to exploit the Earth,” said Katie Landers, 25, of Oakland, one of about 40 people lying on the steps of the Federal Building in body bags.

From an apartment balcony came the sound of the Rev. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

John Hardin, a brown-robed Franciscan friar from San Francisco, said people must “do all we can to show our solidarity.”

“Critical times call for critical measures,” he said. “We came out here to bring a peaceful dimension to this protest.”