Around 7:15 a.m., marchers reported the use of “flash bangs” in an attempt to disperse the crowd from the entrance and allow vehicles to get through. Tanya Brown said she was there when two loud bangs were fired by a masked individual, coming from the Coast Guard facility, wearing plainclothes and a tactical vest.
In the video, which you can watch in the player above, a United States Border Protection vehicle can be seen making its way through a crowd of protesters when a loud bang is heard.
“A big flash went off, and people moved just enough for one of the trucks to get through, and then about 90 seconds later, another one went off,” Brown said.
“I think everyone who’s here today knows that that kind of escalation is a risk, because we’ve seen what ICE has done across the country already, and we’ve seen how they behave,” she added.
Along with increased enforcement nationwide from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, since taking office, Trump has ordered National Guard troops from various states to Portland, Oregon; Chicago; Memphis, Tennessee; Washington, D.C.; and Los Angeles. He has said the soldiers are needed to stop rampant crime and civil unrest.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and other officials on Wednesday confirmed that the federal agents are heading to San Francisco next. The Rev. Deborah Lee, co-executive director of the organization Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, spoke to the large group of protesters that completely blocked the intersection leading to the Coast Guard facility. She stressed the importance of a peaceful demonstration and urged everyone to remain safe.
“We are not prepared to blockade today. Since we organized this so quickly, we don’t have the safety team or the medics for that,” Lee said over a speaker.
A large rally is planned for noon Thursday outside of San Francisco City Hall among other actions around the region in response to the increased federal presence.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
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