San Francisco Olympic torch preparations spokesman David Perry on the likelihood of protests agains the event:
“I’m concerned when anyone would fear that here in San Francisco that someone who might disagree with them might cause them harm,” Perry said. “That makes me sad.”
…
“I like to think in San Francisco we know how to do a protest,” Perry said. “Here in San Francisco, we’re not the type to jump on people in a wheelchair to try to snuff out the flame.”
No, they’re just the type to block streets so emergency vehicles can’t pass and people can’t get to work, in the name of anything from stopping war to defending the rights of cyclists to take over the streets. If there’s jumping to be done, it will be on cars rather than on wheelchairs.
I don’t really have a strong opinion on the Beijing Olympics and the related protests; I find human reights violations as revolting as the next guy, and an Olympic boycott may or may not make an effective statement. I find it notewothy, though, that the only US appearance of the Olympic torch was scheduled for a place where a major protest was almost guaranteed. In San Francisco, protest is a way of life, almost a profession, which is why I contemplated starting that consulting business several years ago.
