Eye on Occupy: 'kids screaming' as rock flies through their window during San Francisco riot

50 protesters gathered last night in San Francisco’s Dolores Park for what was billed as “The Strike Starts Early Street Party.” Party? We think they spelled “violent riot” wrong.

https://twitter.com/#!/Jayron26/status/197288637459726337

They paint-bombed and broke some of the windows at Mission Police Station, according to officer Daza. By then a group of about 50 had moved to other restaurants north of Valencia Street.

Armed with crowbars, bats and other metal objects, a group of protesters smashed businesses windows in a five block stretch of Valencia Street, from 18th Street to Duboce Avenue.

The bar manager at Locanda, Gabriel Lowe remembers hearing three loud bangs, when he looked out the window he saw a protester throwing paint sacks at the storefront. Several witnesses said they saw a protester trying to break the windows with the valet parking sign that’s in front of the restaurant.

The “street partiers” also smashed windshields, slashed tires, and hit one man with a crowbar. Police received 500 reports of damage.

https://twitter.com/#!/kr3at/status/197203040061751296

https://twitter.com/#!/radicalbytes/status/197224184563236865

https://twitter.com/#!/WeROccupyUnited/status/197190176517263360

https://twitter.com/#!/MikeQtips/status/197179440877412352

https://twitter.com/#!/pixplz/status/197181773661224960/

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Grateful Calvin

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https://twitter.com/#!/scottanansi/status/197266798121463808

Luckily, the Occupy San Francisco protesters remain steadfastly committed to non-violence:

https://twitter.com/#!/Pete_TheKiller/status/197254719222185984

Non-violence like this, “Pete_TheKiller”?

https://twitter.com/#!/MikeQtips/status/197240303705538560

An eyewitness describes the scene:

https://twitter.com/#!/eastbayradical/status/197219972525719552

https://twitter.com/#!/eastbayradical/status/197220927883317250

https://twitter.com/#!/eastbayradical/status/197221210545852416

https://twitter.com/#!/eastbayradical/status/197224699984486400

But not everyone thinks it was a big deal.

https://twitter.com/#!/roamingradical/status/197225009746419713

Many Occupiers tried to distance themselves from the mayhem, which appeared to be dominated by protesters wearing Black Bloc masks:

https://twitter.com/#!/MikeQtips/status/197177903300096000

https://twitter.com/#!/roamingradical/status/197220476760752128

But Black Bloc isn’t accepting the blame either:

https://twitter.com/#!/AnonNCarolina2/status/197199700967952384

So if it wasn’t Occupy or Black Bloc, who were the rioters? Must be … agent provocateurs!

https://twitter.com/#!/johnsin/status/197148383360720896

https://twitter.com/#!/scottanansi/status/197195176152797184

Or maybe misguided protesters trashing the wrong kind of property:

https://twitter.com/#!/schleprock/status/197193716883132419

https://twitter.com/#!/JustLexThen/status/197295769273896960

Occupiers claim the police kept their distance:

https://twitter.com/#!/sf99er/status/197269753247694848

https://twitter.com/#!/AnonSikko/status/197256944791191552

https://twitter.com/#!/sf99er/status/197227797675114497

We’re wondering, Occupiers, any plans for keeping these protests from erupting into the violence we’ve come to expect?

https://twitter.com/#!/MikeQtips/status/197284885893885952

Nah, no plans for that. That would be unnecessary:

https://twitter.com/#!/anarchoprole/status/197273594034798593