An unpermitted Pride weekend block party in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood ended last Saturday with 20 people arrested, after police moved in on crowds that officers said had swelled into the hundreds. The action unfolded first on the 100 block of Kissling Street, then again on nearby Washburn Street, as videos showed officers in protective gear pushing into tight alleyways while some in the crowd sprayed graffiti and stacked makeshift barricades.
How officers say the night started
According to the Mission Local, officers arrived near Kissling and 11th streets at about 10:58 PM and found an unpermitted street party, complete with a DJ and roughly 300 people. SFPD told the DJ to pack it up and tried to clear the block, but two people allegedly refused to go and were cited on suspicion of obstructing or delaying a peace officer and unlawful assembly, the outlet reports. Several people vandalized two vehicles driving through the party, leaving both cars inoperable.
Washburn dispersal and arrests
Together, the two stops resulted in 20 arrests, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. After the first dispersal, officers say a second crowd of about 200 people regrouped on Washburn Street, where police again declared an unlawful assembly and arrested 18 more people on suspicion of obstructing or delaying a peace officer and unlawful assembly, according to the paper. Two officers suffered minor injuries and officers encountered makeshift barricades and anti-police graffiti while clearing the street. In a video from the scene, one officer is seen pulling large rocks from behind the wheels of a police vehicle.
A recurring but unpermitted tradition
The SoMa gatherings are widely linked to what locals call "Stud Alley," an unofficial Saturday night Pride weekend block party that has popped up in past years and has often come with graffiti, smashed windshields and booming sound systems, Mission Local notes. Organizers had publicly said they would not host the event this year, saying it had "outgrown itself," but the unofficial tradition still found its way into nearby alleys and side streets. Yesterday, neighbors said walls and sidewalks in the area were still marked by fresh tags and litter where the crowds had been pushed out.
Tensions carry over from other Pride events
The late-night arrests capped a Pride weekend that had already seen tension between some demonstrators and police. During the Trans March earlier in the weekend, the San Francisco Chronicle reported five arrests for vandalism. City officials and event organizers had warned ahead of time about unsanctioned gatherings and said they would increase patrols for public safety, while some attendees and advocates took to social media to criticize the scale and tactics of police enforcement. For now, police say investigations into the weekend incidents are still underway, and the status of everyone arrested has not yet been fully confirmed.
