Torch begins its journey — and disappears

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Tibet independence supporter Xiao Tan, right, and his girlfriend Miao-Chih Tsai, center, struggle to keep hold of his flag in a tussle with pro-China supporters before the start of the Olympic torch relay in San Francisco.

Runner carrying the flame disappears into a warehouse. Meanwhile, police separate protesters and China loyalists lining the announced route
By John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
1:50 PM PDT, April 9, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO — Moments after its started on its relay here, the Olympic torch disappeared.

The first flame-bearer left the podium near this city’s waterfront and, surrounded by security, dashed into a massive pier-side building less than 300 feet away, leaving stunned onlookers shaking their heads.

The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the torch will be carried by boat, not along the Embarcadero as planned. About 1:30 p.m., a police boat pulled up to the dock, surrounded by officers on jet skis.

The sudden turn of events came after a ceremony in which Norman Bellingham, the CEO of the U.S. Olympic Committee — a former Olympian and kayaker — welcomed the torch to San Francisco in a speech that started well after the 1 p.m. projected torch launch time.

The torch carrier then ran from the podium, passed a statue of former San Francisco Giant Willie McCovey, and disappeared.

In the hour before the relay began, face-offs between protesters and Chinese loyalists were becoming increasingly frequent with less than an hour before the scheduled start of the latest leg of the contentious torch relay leading up to the Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Not far from the city’s picturesque Ferry Building clock tower at the foot of Market Street, the end point of the relay, the tension was building.

“You are a big fat liar,” Andrew Kwok, a native of Hong Kong and a Fremont, Calif., software engineer, yelled at Matt Laubcher, 37, an electrician from Reno, who was wearing a Tibetan flag on his back, decrying what he called the Chinese occupation of Tibet.

After police separated the two men, Kwok said: “They’re trying to hijack the agenda. We should give our hate, our differences way, and enjoy the games.”

Nearby, in the shadow of the Bay Bridge, about 100 protesters surged from the roadside along the city’s Embarcadero and surrounded a bus. The crowd began beating on the sides of the vehicle and broke its rear-view mirror before a police officer on a motorcycle announced over a megaphone: “We dropped people off at McCovey Cove. This bus is empty!”

Someone from the crowd yelled: “This is a decoy!” and the protesters moved on.

On the bay, police on marked jet-skis cruised the waterfront near the start of the relay in McCovey Cove, next to AT&T Park, where the San Francisco Giants baseball team plays.

The San Francisco leg of the torch relay — its only North American stop — comes after violent protests in London and Paris. In Paris, security officials halted the event and ushered the torch onto a bus. That decision came after swarms of protesters forced officials to repeatedly extinguish the iconic flame.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom toured the relay start site at 9 a.m. to encourage the scores of black-unformed police. He was accompanied by Rose Pak, president of the pro-Beijing Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Hours before the start of the relay, pro-China activists waved hundreds of red flags of the Peoples’ Republic of China. Many carried signs that read “Go China. Go Olympics.” Others performed traditional Chinese dances.

Chen Zheng, a graduate student at Stanford University, said she was one of 200 students who arrived at 7 a.m.

“We want to occupy the good spots,” she said. “We’re Chinese. We’re here to cheer on the torch.”

Unlike London and Paris, San Francisco is home to 30,000 Chinese Americans, many of them loyal to Beijing. Police worried there might be face-offs with protesters. But Zheng said she hoped there would be minimal conflicts.

“It’s just a torch, why try to put it out?” she asked. “This is a celebration. Be happy, Why ruin things?”

Along with groups supporting Tibet and criticizing China’s religious and political crackdowns, those expected to protest today include the animal-rights group In Defense of Animals, which alleges that China kills cats and dogs for their fur, and possibly one or more of the scheduled torch bearers.

Some people signed up for a “Naked Torch Run” scheduled for just before the official event.

And there was humor along the way. One man carried a sign that read: “Another organic chef for a free Tibet.” Another held up a placard that read: “Legalize gambling, Free To Bet.”

Burmese groups, monks and Buddhist clergy carrying signs paraded across the pedestrian walkway of the Golden Gate Bridge this morning. There were no arrests and the march went peacefully.

“It’s going perfectly. There’s not a problem at all,” said Marry Currie, a spokeswoman for the Golden Gate Bridge.

San Francisco police have said they expect as many as 6,500 protesters today, but the numbers could grow higher. An organizer for the Coalition to Save Darfur — one of numerous groups planning to be out in force in the city — said Tuesday that the group had already rallied 2,100 supporters, double original estimates.

Police in San Francisco, where all 2,000 of its officers are on duty today, said they will use tactics employed in London and Paris to provide a human shield around the 80 Olympic torch carriers to discourage anyone from trying to reach out and snuff the flame.

At least one Bay Area torchbearer has dropped out of the event, citing safety concerns, officials say.

The planned route for the six-mile relay traces San Francisco’s picturesque waterfront, but Mayor Gavin Newsom reiterated Tuesday that he might change the route even after the 1 p.m. start time in order to thwart trouble.

San Francisco police have sought backup from the California Highway Patrol, U.S. Secret Service and neighboring police agencies.

The FBI will also be ready to join in the security effort but a spokeswoman said that agents would not engage in surveillance of protesters. The Federal Aviation Administration said that temporary flight restrictions for private aircraft would be in effect in airspace over the torch relay route.

On the ground, police will ride bicycles and motorcycles to keep an eye on activists on the fringes of the event. The torch will be further protected by officers running alongside the torchbearers.

In London, protesters were outraged at the sight of Chinese security officials surrounding the flame San Francisco officials said those same torch-minders might be on hand today, but that police were in charge.

The flame embarked in March from Greece on an 85,000-mile, six-continent journey — one of the most ambitious torch relays in the history of the Olympics.

It has also proven to be among the most contentious, despite China’s slogan: “Journey of Harmony.”

Although top Olympic officials said Tuesday that they would discuss stopping the remainder of the relay at a Friday meeting, Beijing officials insisted that there would be no route changes after the flame leaves San Francisco.

“No force will disrupt the torch relay,” said Sun Weide, a spokesman for the Beijing organizing committee.

Chinese Americans in San Francisco echoed those sentiments Tuesday, saying they would cheer the torch today in the face of protest. Organizers said they expected more than 15,000 to wave banners in support of Beijing.

“We’re going to show the world that San Francisco stands behind China,” social worker Citania Tam said as she walked in Chinatown. “We’re going to be the anti-demonstrators.”

Newsom said he expected “tens of thousands” to witness the event. He met with protesters Tuesday and advised them to not threaten the torch: “Nothing gets in the way of a movement more than doing something to take you away from your message. . . . I am not over-promising that this is the Summer of Love. [People] can peacefully disagree.”

Still, San Francisco officials said they have no regrets about beating out Seattle last year in a bid to become the only North American city to welcome the torch. In a recent speech before journalists in Sacramento, Newsom, referring to San Francisco’s torch relay, quipped, “Be careful what you wish for.”

Mayoral spokesman Nathan Ballard said San Francisco was chosen for its status as a Pacific Rim city and home to thousands of Chinese Americans. “We knew from Day One there would be protests and that we would have to accommodate that,” he said. “This is a free country.”