Jump Arnie, Jump!

The rally today outside the Ritz protesting Arnie's $1000-a-plate fundraiser was impressive. We had the Ritz totally surrounded, and those currying favor had to walk a serious gauntlet. There were a bunch of labor folks there, and also a bunch of people not obviously affiliated with a union. The mood was as militant as I've seen in a while.

At one point, someone (presumably Schwartzenegger) looked out from a balcony, and the crowd chanted "Jump, Arnie, Jump!" Good stuff. The dancing and singing was breaking out as I left, but overall, the mood was pissed. People are angry about the governor.


UPDATE: One thing I forgot to mention last night was the heaviness of the police presence. Normally, at a rally like this in SF, you'll see only a few cops, mainly there to keep people behind a barrier. Last night, there were several squads of SFPD and at least one motorcycle detachment of CHP. At one point, the SFPD blocked all of Grant Street and did not let people they identified as protestors through. They were clearly determined not to let us surround the hotel.

See the coverage at sf indymedia and also the article in the Chron.