4:22 PM: San Francisco police this afternoon began arresting Occupy
SF demonstrators who took over a building owned by the Archdiocese of San Francisco
on Sunday, a police spokesman said.
Protesters entered the building at 888 Turk St. following
a late-afternoon rally and march on Sunday.
Some of the demonstrators held a news conference this
morning during which they said the two-story building had been vacant for five
years and that the group planned to turn it into a homeless shelter with
medical services and food.
Police spokesman Sgt. Michael Andraychak said around 3:45
p.m. that officers entered the
building earlier this afternoon and were arresting protesters.
Andraychak did not know how many people were being
arrested, but police had estimated earlier today that about 40 people were in
the building.
Coverage elsewhere: [SFist] [Chron] [IndyBay]
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
11:56 AM: Occupy SF demonstrators who took over a building owned by
the Archdiocese of San Francisco on Sunday said this morning they have no plans
to leave.
The protesters entered the building at 888 Turk St.
following a late-afternoon rally and march that began in downtown San Francisco
on Sunday.
Police had the building surrounded this morning.
Protesters held a news conference around 9 a.m., but
reporters initially had trouble accessing the event because police would not allow them across the street, and demonstrators were reluctant to leave the building.
Beth Seligman, an Occupy demonstrator who led the news
conference, said the building has been vacant for five years.
Seligman said the group of demonstrators plans to turn the
two-story building into a homeless shelter with medical services and food.
“We have a delegation attempting to make contact with the diocese,”
she said. “The archdiocese won’t take immediate action.”
She estimated a couple hundred demonstrators were inside
the building, and were planning to stay on the property indefinitely.
Occupy demonstrator Bruce Allison said police have asked
the protesters to leave. Allison said it is up to the property owners to take that
action.
“This is not a crime scene, according to state law,”
Allison said.
Demonstrators have hung banners on the building
including one
reading, “Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us
out trespasses.”
Seneca Craig, a college student who left the site and was
not allowed re-entry, said, “They haven’t allowed food in since 10 p.m.
(Sunday). There’s not much food
inside.”
One demonstrator walked onto the roof of the building
around 8:30 a.m. and two police officers were monitoring the situation from a
fire escape on a nearby apartment building.
Police Lt. Troy Dangerfield, who was at the scene this
morning, said that anyone who exits the property will not be allowed to return,
although at least one demonstrator who left the building did manage to get back
inside.
Dangerfield said the original estimate of the number of
people inside the building was 40.
George Wesolek, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of San
Francisco, said the building belongs to Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High
School. He said the building has
not been used for classes in about 18 months.
“Whatever their agenda is, they are thrusting it on our
property,” Wesolek said.
Wesolek said he doesn’t know how the protesters entered
the building. He said he plans to let police take care of the situation and
does not know why police are allowing the demonstrators to remain on the
property.
“It does serve an urban population,” he said of the school.
“Many of the children are from lower-income families. The use of the building
is intended for that.”
“We have not been in contact with the occupiers, but we
certainly would like them to leave,” Wesolek said.
Hannah Albarazi, Bay City News
Coverage elsewhere: [SFBG]
9:19 AM: A group of Occupy San Francisco protesters remain camped out in a church-owned building with plans to create a community center there to serve the homeless, Occupy SF representatives said this morning.
After taking over the two-story building at 888 Turk St. following a late-afternoon rally and march in downtown San Francisco on Sunday, protesters settled into the building, which Occupy SF representatives said once housed a mental health clinic.
Occupy SF protesters said in a statement that they want the two-story building to serve as a haven for the city’s homeless, who they say have “become subject to arrest and harassment simply for now existing in these very same streets they were forced into.”
Officers have been monitoring the building, but as of late Sunday night, had not made any arrests.
Police are in contact with the building’s owners, believed to be the Archdiocese of San Francisco, to determine how to handle the situation, Sgt. Michael Andraychak said.
In order to oust the protesters from the building, its owners would have to make a citizen’s arrest for trespassing, Andraychak said.
A group of protesters plans to hold a news conference at 888 Turk St. this morning, and will attempt to meet with representatives from the Archdiocese at that time.
Other plans for the day include yoga classes, political discussions and teach-ins, according to Occupy SF.
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Laura Dixon, Bay City News
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