ACLU Seeks Information from City on Torch Route Planning and Crowd Control


For Immediate Release: April 10, 2008

The ACLU of Northern California filed a request today under the Sunshine Ordinance with the San Francisco Mayor’s Office and San Francisco Police Department seeking records relating to the Olympic torch relay.  The letter, which expressed disappointment in the way the city handled the event, asked for information regarding the planning around the relay route and enforcement actions at Justin Herman Plaza, the site originally planned for the closing ceremonies.

The letter notes that, while neither the public nor the ACLU-NC were notified about a route change, there were no visible signs at 8 a.m., April 9, that preparations were being made for half of the publicly announced route north of Lombard and Embarcadero.

Also, even though the SFPD made repeated assurances that it would not discriminate against people based on their message, the ACLU-NC witnessed police ordering protestors carrying Tibetan flags or signs to leave Justin Herman Plaza.

The April 10 request is available online.