By John M. Glionna and Maria L. LaGanga , Los Angeles Times|April 10, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO — SAN FRANCISCO -- What was planned as a celebration of international harmony turned into an exercise in subterfuge and frustration yesterday, as officials staged a cat-and-mouse game to keep the Olympic torch away from potentially violent protests.
The flame arrived late for its scheduled 1 p.m. appearance and blazed briefly on an outdoor stage near downtown. Then the torchbearer vanished into a nearby building, only to reappear later across town flanked by heavy security, leaving would-be spectators baffled.
After the torch parade was rerouted and shortened to prevent disruptions by crowds of protesters, the closing ceremony at the waterfront was moved to San Francisco International Airport. But the flame was put directly on a plane and was not displayed.
In an interview with the local NBC affiliate, Mayor Gavin Newsom defended the change of route. "We protected people's lives, and we protected people's rights of free expression," he said.
David Perry, a spokesman for the San Francisco Olympic Torch Relay, said he was saddened by the threat of violence, but safety trumps tradition.
Spectators "should not be surprised, because of violent actions in other cities and the potential for violence here, that there were changes made at the last moment," Perry said.
At least three of the 80 torchbearers dropped out before the relay began, some because of fears of violence.
There were scuffles among protesters, and a bus was vandalized, but the civic shell game and large police presence kept the city largely calm. There was none of the violence that disrupted the torch's run through Paris and London.
But the sleight of hand angered some demonstrators, who protested China's crackdown in Tibet, among other issues.
Still, Jerry Fowler, president of the Save Darfur Coalition, said activists made their point. "Beijing can hide the Olympic torch, but today's events show they can't hide their torturous policy of aiding and abetting genocide."
Along the Embarcadero, after the relay was supposed to start, a cacophony arose from hundreds of protesters who spilled onto the roadway. Officials made no attempt to clear the route.
Protesters and spectators who swarmed around the historic Ferry Building, which was initially scheduled to be the end point of the relay, started chanting: "The torch is on the water."
"The city should have made known the torch route rather than be deceptive," said Yan Ko, a San Francisco retail worker.
