SAN FRANCISCO, CA —The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) started arresting people for standing up for what they believe in. There were 11 arrests that day, 10 were released, one is still locked up at 850 Bryant St. They started getting aggressive toward the community. They did not like it when the Latino community started chanting, “Who killed Alex? SFPD!” I was the first person they snatched and loaded into the paddy wagon (meat wagon). If you’re wondering who Alex is, he was a Latino student at City College of San Francisco who was gunned down by SFPD on Bernal Hill, for supposedly aiming his taser from a distance at one of the officers. He was also a community activist. There were many demonstrations in the Mission District because of his murder.
OccupySF activist Keenan Putansu wrote this account of his arrest after a diverse and spirited May Day march up San Francisco’s Mission St., for immigrant, workers and human rights. Young demonstrators took the intersection where Food Not Bombs members were sharing food, and were arrested.
