FOSTER CITY: 50 MINUTES TO AND FROM THE OLYMPIC TORCH
"The mayor of San Francisco should be kicked out of office for what he's done! " An irritated McDonald's customer said, in a group of people waiting for their food, who just came back to Foster City from going to see the Olympic Torch. "People came from throughout the state," he continued," and other states just to see the torch, and then he changes the route, so that almost no one, sees it."
This was part of a conversation I overheard in Mc Donalds Foster City, California, when I was getting a chicken club sandwich for dinner.
The question is: "Was the mayor correct in what he did--change the route?"
From what I can gather in talking to several people who grew up in San Francisco and Berkeley, California, during the 60's and participated in many protest rallies. "Yes! He was right to change the route," they said.
From the actions of the protesting group, indicated something was going to happen: the clothes they wore (old levis, old sweat-clothes, tee-shirts,etc.), no I.D's, jamming of the streets, and attacking a bus woke up the police that they better do something before a big problem occurs. Much of this behavior was shown on television: spray painting a bus, jamming the front door, and breaking a window. Once the protestors found out there was nothing on the bus they wanted, they just kept on damaging the bus.
These protestors did not know because of their behavior the mayor and the chief of police would have the courage to, instantly, change the route of the torch--no matter who came to see it.
So, in the opinion of the people who I talked to and participated in riots during the 60's, it was the right thing to do--change the route. This way no one got (physically) hurt.
Anyway, the people who wanted to protested--protested; the people who stood-up for China--stood-up; and the Olympic Torch made its North American appearance without incident and headed to South America.
Only the people who came with peaceful intent to San Francisco to see the Olympic Torch were the ones who suffered. The money they spent, the time they spent, and the distance they came from, were wasted since they did not see the torch. Isn't it always something like this when an international event comes to the San Francisco Bay Area?
