This week I managed to bypass 2 riots. Yes 2.
If you didn't hear the Bay Area went absolutely bat-shit this week. The San Francisco Giants won the world series on Monday, and San Francisco exploded. I was watching an illegal stream of Fox's Spanish station coverage of the game on a laptop at work. As soon as my coworkers and I saw the result, we cheered, turned off the computer and got the fuck out. I rode my bike up to civic center BART station just in time to meet part of the crowd dispersing from Civic center plaza. I got on BART , which started to fill quickly, and got myself home. I turned on the TV to watch the city devolve into ridiculousness.
People were mowed down by cars.
Fires were lit. Screaming and honking horns was to be had.
Today I was at work when the verdict of the Oscar Grant case came in. I work next to the SF precinct, so all the cops who came in were a bit nervous about the night ahead. I was also a bit nervous about the my trip home since the last news from the case resulted in riots in downtown Oakland.
A Footlocker was broken into. Fires were set. Cars were damaged, Things were trashed.
So tonight, near the end of my shift, I receive a call from my boyfriend. Apparently the rioters are streaming through my neighborhood. Apparently the crowd decided to head east from downtown. The broke through a construction site that was blocking off an entire block and marched into the yards between out building and the neighbors. They were climbing on the roofs of the houses next to us.
The white house you can see is just 4 doors down from us.
I tell him to let me know if it calms down soon so I can come home. Half an hour later he calls again. Apparently the riot police have quartered off our block and trapped 150 protesters on our street. So I call my friend to come pick me up from Ashby station and head to her house to wait it out.
It was a bit surreal coming home at 11p. Me and my friend drove up the blocks leading to my house and I was surprised because everything seemed normal. As soon as we turn the corner to my street we're blinded by the bright light of a police car in the center of the road, and the entire block is trashed. I'm actually surprised that there wasn't more destruction. Our neighbors are out in the street assessing the damage and attempting some cleanup. A cop is searching int he trunk of a stopped car. I don't know what for. And I don't really care. I just take my bike inside and open my apartment, happy that my boyfriend and my cat are fine.
If you didn't hear the Bay Area went absolutely bat-shit this week. The San Francisco Giants won the world series on Monday, and San Francisco exploded. I was watching an illegal stream of Fox's Spanish station coverage of the game on a laptop at work. As soon as my coworkers and I saw the result, we cheered, turned off the computer and got the fuck out. I rode my bike up to civic center BART station just in time to meet part of the crowd dispersing from Civic center plaza. I got on BART , which started to fill quickly, and got myself home. I turned on the TV to watch the city devolve into ridiculousness.
People were mowed down by cars.
Fires were lit. Screaming and honking horns was to be had.
Today I was at work when the verdict of the Oscar Grant case came in. I work next to the SF precinct, so all the cops who came in were a bit nervous about the night ahead. I was also a bit nervous about the my trip home since the last news from the case resulted in riots in downtown Oakland.
A Footlocker was broken into. Fires were set. Cars were damaged, Things were trashed.
So tonight, near the end of my shift, I receive a call from my boyfriend. Apparently the rioters are streaming through my neighborhood. Apparently the crowd decided to head east from downtown. The broke through a construction site that was blocking off an entire block and marched into the yards between out building and the neighbors. They were climbing on the roofs of the houses next to us.
The white house you can see is just 4 doors down from us.
I tell him to let me know if it calms down soon so I can come home. Half an hour later he calls again. Apparently the riot police have quartered off our block and trapped 150 protesters on our street. So I call my friend to come pick me up from Ashby station and head to her house to wait it out.
It was a bit surreal coming home at 11p. Me and my friend drove up the blocks leading to my house and I was surprised because everything seemed normal. As soon as we turn the corner to my street we're blinded by the bright light of a police car in the center of the road, and the entire block is trashed. I'm actually surprised that there wasn't more destruction. Our neighbors are out in the street assessing the damage and attempting some cleanup. A cop is searching int he trunk of a stopped car. I don't know what for. And I don't really care. I just take my bike inside and open my apartment, happy that my boyfriend and my cat are fine.
VIEW 15 of 15 COMMENTS
captn_matt_:
That has to be one of the most interesting blogs I've ever read.
tactical:
haha