Protestors Break Windows, Storm Doors at San Francisco City Hall

SAN FRANCISCO, CA- Protesters rallied outside of two entrances at San Francisco City Hall this morning in support of the Frisco Five, five people who abstained from food for more than two weeks while calling for Mayor Ed Lee to fire police Chief Greg Suhr. About 20 people were outside the entrance at Van Ness Avenue, while about 80 people were rallying outside the entrance at Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place.

The Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place entrance has been closed and the steps were blocked with metal barriers. Extra sheriff's deputies and police officers were standing guard at all four entrances of City Hall during the protest. The protesters are calling for the resignation of the police chief in response to recent fatal police shootings of black and Latino men in the city, including Alex Nieto, Mario Woods, Amilcar Perez Lopez and Luis Gongora.

Among the protesters are the parents of Alex Nieto, Elvira and Refugio Nieto. Alex Nieto was fatally shot by police in March 2014. Yayne Abeba, spokeswoman for the Frisco Five, said the group is also now calling for the mayor's resignation in addition to the police chief's.

"Now were calling for the mayor to go too. He's not serving the people of San Francisco. He's serving money, the developers and big corporate interest in San Francisco. His response to this has been cowardly," Abeba said.

The mayor last spoke with the Frisco Five via phone on Thursday, but no resolution was reached and the mayor said he stood behind Suhr, according to organizers. The five hunger strikers remain hospitalized this morning. They were hospitalized Friday afternoon after doctors monitoring them advised them against continuing to abstain from food.

"We want reforms to the Police Department and we want real reforms, not just reactive reforms," Abeba said, adding that the San Francisco Police Officers Association was also part of the problem. "The POA is resistant to changing their use of force protocol. They want to use excessive force even though it's been recommended they use minimal force, especially when dealing with mentally ill and unarmed people," Abeba said. "They need to get out of their car and get to know people."

The protesters are planning to continue rallying throughout the day until City Hall closes at 8 p.m. Today's protest follows a larger gathering inside City Hall on Friday in which nearly 200 people refused to leave the building, even after it closed. That protest resulted in dozens of arrests, according to organizers.

Additionally, City Hall sustained broken windows and damaged metal detectors during the protest, city officials said.

By Bay City News, Image via Shutterstock