Commuters reeled with the news that a group of activists planned to shut down Muni lines throughout San Francisco Monday morning in protest. But Monday morning came, and only two metro lines shut down -- for about 45 minutes in total.
About 30 demonstrators blocked the tunnel at the intersection of Church and Duboce Streets, blocking the N Judah and J Church lines from approximately 6:45 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Buses were brought in to shuttle area commuters.
They then marched toward Market Street, where the group eventually dispersed. According to Mission Local, the crowd briefly disrupted the 47 and 49 bus service at the intersection of Van Ness Avenue and Hayes Street.
Protesters were commemorating the one-year anniversary of the death of Kenneth Harding, a 19-year-old who was killed during a shootout with SFPD officers at a Muni station in Bayview after he neglected to pay bus fare. Authorities claim Harding died from a self-inflicted bullet wound; however, witnesses have disputed their account.
"We want to honor our fallen children that have been killed by police brutality--we're here to make a statement," Harding's uncle Marco Scott, who participated in this morning's event, told Bay City News.
Fliers for the protest, organized by a number of local activist groups including Labor Black and Brown, the Oscar Grant Foundation and Humanists for Revolutionary Socialism, also mention 15-year-old Derrick Gaines, who was shot by South San Francisco Police on June 5.
The demonstrators plan to reconvene at 5 p.m. for a vigil honoring Harding's memory at the intersection of Third Street and Palou Avenue. Click here for information on further service disruptions.
Take a look at images from past San Francisco protests below:
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