Sunday, July 15, 2012

Protesters Plan to Shut Down Muni Service on Monday

Muni officials are scrambling to prepare for a planned protest in the city's Bayview neighborhood next week that's sure to screw up your commute come Monday.

The Examiner brings us the bad news this morning, explaining that demonstrators are calling on all Muni lines to be shut down -- and they claim to have plenty of good reasons for it, including the Police Department's racial discrimination policies and Muni's ongoing attack on organized labor.

Even more compelling, they say, is Monday marks the 1-year anniversary of the shooting death of Kenneth Harding, the 19-year-old man who was chased down by police and shot to death after he attempted to dodge paying his Muni fare in the Bayview.

Demonstrators have targeted Third Street and Palou Avenue as the meeting spot for the protest, but not time has been set. The T-Third Street light rail line and the 54-Felton, 44-O'Shaughnessy, 24-Divisadero, and 23-Monterey bus lines all pass through that particular intersection, the Ex reports.


A random group called the Humanists for Revolutionary Socialism, is backing Monday's protest, dubbed "Kenneth Harding Jr. Transit Shut Down Day" and blames Muni's policies for Harding's death.

"Kenneth was killed by the S.F. police to protect Muni bosses' 'savings' on the backs of the workers," the group says on its website. "This greed takes the form of attacks on the Muni workers and compromising safety which endangers Muni riders as well as the union drivers."

SF Weekly contacted Muni to find out what the rest of us are supposed to do come Monday, if and when the trains are disrupted. She didn't say much other than they are aware of this protest and will take it into consideration, whatever that means. However, Ron Austin, spokesman for the transit union, tells the Examiner that we need not worry too much.

"When the sun rises on Monday, we'll be out there working," he said.

Of course, all that means is they will still get their paycheck.

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