Mark Holtz
03-23-03, 11:01 AM
From SF Gate (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/03/23/MN133659.DTL):
Dealing with protests costly for S.F.
City estimates spending about $900,000 a day
The war protests in San Francisco that have hobbled traffic, kept police on the move, packed jails and left a wake of graffiti and trash have cost city taxpayers about $900,000 a day, according to official estimates.
The mounting costs come as San Francisco struggles with a $350 million budget deficit -- the worst in city history.
The price tag of the unruly protests, Mayor Willie Brown said, probably will force even more layoffs and service cuts than predicted.
The daily cost of the protests is the equivalent of paying 13 emergency room nurses at San Francisco General Hospital or keeping three recreation centers open for a year.
But peace demonstrators say Brown should take his complaints to the president.
"The city of San Francisco should send that bill, all those overtime costs, directly to the White House," said Bill Hackwell, a spokesman for International Answer, which has coordinated several demonstrations.
(Mohammed) Nuru said planned peace marches like the ones scheduled for the weekend usually cost less to clean up -- about $25,000 -- than the impromptu and often destructive actions that popped up throughout downtown.
Ilinisa Hendrickson of Oakland had no sympathy for the cops and their long days.
"Hey, I called in sick to come out here," she said as she marched through the Financial District with the Brass Liberation Orchestra, banging a wooden block. "Everyone has to give a little."
Full article here (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/03/23/MN133659.DTL)
Dealing with protests costly for S.F.
City estimates spending about $900,000 a day
The war protests in San Francisco that have hobbled traffic, kept police on the move, packed jails and left a wake of graffiti and trash have cost city taxpayers about $900,000 a day, according to official estimates.
The mounting costs come as San Francisco struggles with a $350 million budget deficit -- the worst in city history.
The price tag of the unruly protests, Mayor Willie Brown said, probably will force even more layoffs and service cuts than predicted.
The daily cost of the protests is the equivalent of paying 13 emergency room nurses at San Francisco General Hospital or keeping three recreation centers open for a year.
But peace demonstrators say Brown should take his complaints to the president.
"The city of San Francisco should send that bill, all those overtime costs, directly to the White House," said Bill Hackwell, a spokesman for International Answer, which has coordinated several demonstrations.
(Mohammed) Nuru said planned peace marches like the ones scheduled for the weekend usually cost less to clean up -- about $25,000 -- than the impromptu and often destructive actions that popped up throughout downtown.
Ilinisa Hendrickson of Oakland had no sympathy for the cops and their long days.
"Hey, I called in sick to come out here," she said as she marched through the Financial District with the Brass Liberation Orchestra, banging a wooden block. "Everyone has to give a little."
Full article here (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/03/23/MN133659.DTL)