Brent Begin, The Examiner
2008-03-20 10:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

SAN FRANCISCO -

A day of mostly peaceful protests, marches, rallies and vigils Wednesday to mark the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war resulted in nearly 150 arrests, although fewer participants than expected.

The majority of the 143 arrests occurred early in the day and within The City’s Financial District.

As early as 7:15 a.m., police had arrested seven people who locked themselves together at the Federal Reserve building at 101 Market St., police reported. Hours later, about one dozen more were arrested in front of the Chevron building at 345 California St.

And just before 11 a.m., a couple of dozen people were taken into custody for obstructing traffic on Market Street.

Nearby, at the Commonwealth Club headquarters on Market Street, Sen. Barbara Boxer said she “shares the frustration” of the anti-war protesters.

“Today marks five years since U.S. combat operations began in Iraq, and I am sad to say that we are still embroiled in war, with no end in sight,” Boxer said.

A noontime protest at Market and New Montgomery streets that resulted in approximately 70 arrests shut down traffic for hours. The group of several dozen protesters walked into the middle of the intersection and staged a “die-in.” The group also rallied in front of Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s office.

After sounding a warning to get out of the street, SWAT officers arrived about five minutes later and surrounded the protesters, hitting a few of them with batons. Inside the perimeter, protesters continued to lie in the streets.

Most of the arrests were for trespassing and resisting arrest. Several were cited and taken to county jail, where they were eventually released, according to authorities. Police defended all their actions as a means to clear the streets.

“They used force necessary to effect an arrest,” police Sgt. Steve Mannina said.

At least four officers were struck by Christmas ornaments filled with fluorescent paint, but there were no reports of injuries. Around 5 p.m., another rally was held at Civic Center Plaza.

Among the anti-war protesters was a group of College Republicans from UC Berkeley, San Francisco State and University of San Francisco, who said they were supporting the troops.

“Maybe there aren’t a lot of us but we are here,” said 18-year-old UC Berkeley freshman Alexandra Hartline.

The protesters marched toward Mission and 24th streets, filling up about half a city block as they went along, according to police. The march was led by Cindy Sheehan, an anti-war protester who is running for Congress.

“It’s a really good turnout and an energized crowd,” Sheehan said.

The march did disrupt Muni, which altered routes throughout the day, according to an agency spokesman.

“We’ve experienced significant delays and disruptions because of the protest,” Muni spokesman Judson True said.

Other protests were held across the nation, with the largest in Washington, D.C., and Syracuse, N.Y.

bbegin@examiner.com