BART Warns More Protests Could Disrupt Monday's Commute

Bay City News contributed to this report.

More BART protests could disrupt the evening commute for the third consecutive Monday, BART officials warn. Berkeley residents working in San Francisco may find stations closed due to a planned protest at Civic Center station at 5 p.m. Protest organizers, however, claim the disruption is unnecessary.

The hacker group "Anonymous," which , also . In this third demonstration, protesters will hand out flyers to commuters, stating that BART's closure of stations has nothing to do with safety, but is rather an attempt to frustrate commuters and turn them against the Anonymous protest group. In response, organizers are instructing protesters through the Anonymous Twitter account not to enter the Civic Center station but to gather outside so as not to interfere with commuters.

Anonymous has also listed four demands of BART:

1. Fire BART police chief Kenton Rainey.

2. Apologize for shutting down stations and don't do it again - especially when it's because people are protesting.

3. Investigate, and if necessary, charge James Crowell (he shot and killed Charles Hill).

4. Disarm BART police. BART officers have shown they can't handle the responsibility. 

The group began its protests after BART shut down cellphone service at several stations during a separate protest over the shooting of 45-year-old Charles Hill. Hill was shot and killed on July 3 by BART police after he allegedly threatened officers with a knife and a broken bottle, police said. 

Dr. Rupa Marya, a former doctor of Hill's, will be in attendance at the protest today aiming not to disrupt commuters "but to educate a population that may need to pause and think about the value a human life has," she said in a post on her Facebook page. Marya also sent an open letter to local media outlets, stating: "I would like to lend my voice to the growing protest of the BART police’s excessive use of violent force and know that weekly protests are being organized on Mondays until demands are met for BART to fully investigate the shooting of Charles Hill, disarm its police force and train them properly, as well as bringing the officer who shot him to justice."

Corby Sturges, who commutes to San Francisco from the East Bay, will be leaving work early to make sure he can get out of the city before the demonstration begins. He called the protests "misguided." "Interfering with the commute is not making much of a difference at BART headquarters," Sturges said. "The more effective protest would be focused at BART headquarters (rather) than commuters." He said his colleagues have also become frustrated with the protests. "Not sure disrupting the commute is the way to do it," Sturges said.

Kate Svinarich, who commutes to San Francisco from Oakland, called the protests "more irritating than convincing."

Someone fed up with the protests has set up a Facebook page titled "Commuters Take Back BART." The page states there will be a counter-protest against the Anonymous protest tonight. "BART commuters are sick and tired of 'protests' interfering with our right to use public transit, so we can earn a living and get back to our families," the site states. "Let's take back BART from these misguided protesters and show them they are way outnumbered and will not shut down BART again," it reads.

BART shut down cellphone service in the stations during a protest on Aug. 15 and has closed multiple downtown stations in response to each protest. Last Monday's protest resulted in the closure of the Civic Center and Powell Street stations and the arrest of about 40 people by San Francisco police. BART held a community meeting last Wednesday to discuss the cellphone issue. BART spokesman Jim Allison said that tonight, there will be a similar BART police presence in the stations to that of previous weeks.

"We support peaceful protests so long as they're outside the fare gates," Allison said. Allison said, however, that if protesters are demonstrating inside the station, they could be arrested. He cited a California penal code section that states that anyone who "hinders the safe and efficient operation of the rail line or rail-related facility is guilty of a misdemeanor."

How do you feel about the protests? Tell us in the comments.