San Francisco Protests Continue Unabated

SAN FRANCISCO — Anti-war protesters took to the streets again Monday, with more than 100 arrests in the city's financial district and noisy student demonstrators crowding the hallways of an administration building at San Francisco State University.

By noon, 123 people had been arrested at the city's famed Transamerica Pyramid building and at the federal building, according to San Francisco Police spokeswoman Maria Oropeza.

At San Francisco State, a hotbed of past confrontations over the Middle East, about 100 students clogged the ground floor of the administration building, demanding to meet with the dean and urging university administrators to pass a resolution opposing the U.S. war against Iraq.

The students, including senior Ani Mockler, took turns using a bullhorn to shout their demands as about 40 officers blocked them from going upstairs to the administrative offices. A university spokeswoman said they planned to wait until 10 p.m. before breaking up the sit-in in an attempt to minimize arrests.

"I'm against the war and I'm against people who think we should be quiet at this time," said Mockler, 29, who has a niece in Kuwait serving in the military.

The number of students taking part in the sit-in had dwindled to fewer than 50 by 3:30 p.m.

Monday was the fifth day of protests for San Francisco. Other cities in the Bay Area and throughout the state braced for renewed protests Monday after reduced activity during the weekend.

A rally last spring at San Francisco State degenerated into a shouting match between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestianian groups, with racial epithets and threats of violence until campus police intervened. University president Robert Corrigan sought Monday to quell a repeat of such a faceoff.

"San Francisco State remains a community that remains committed to values that have seen us through difficult times. Free speech, mutual respect and mutual respect even in disagreement," Corrigan told about 300 people at a rally. "The practice of peace on campus is a contribution to peace in the world."

But student speakers that followed prodded the university's administration to take a firm stand against the war.

"President Corrigan, if you think this war is an awful thing then do something about it. Pass an anti-war resolution," said Kirya Traber, 18, a freshman who addressed the crowd before leading protesters in a chant of "Money for Schools, Not War!"

Members of Students Against War passed out flyers and urged fellow students to walk out of class.

"Our first plan is to make people walk out of classes, because you can't continue with your daily lives while we're bombing innocent people," said freshman Iris Rowlee, a member of Students Against War. "If the mood is right, we'll occupy the administration building."

Raquel Rivera Pinderhughes, a professor of Urban Studies and Environmental Studies at SFSU, took the bullhorn to say:

"There are many faculty that are supportive. Though we are not sitting in with you, those days will come soon."

Meanwhile, there were grass roots groups emerging in small California cities forming to show support for U.S. troops and the war effort.

In the small town of Willits, Marvin Brannon was preparing to hit the streets Tuesday, with the newly formed group he calls "The American Patriots." The group, varying in size from 20 to 100 at any given rally, has taken to the main sidewalk cutting through town to wave flags and elicit honks from passers-by.

"The message is support the troops. Support the country. Nobody likes war and we certainly don't want anybody killed," Brannon said.

"We're going to stand. We're going to stand against evil. We have to," Brannon said. "You have to draw the line in the sand somewhere. You can't back up repeatedly. If you do, a lot of people are going to die."