LGBT groups protest police abuses, block S.F. streets

From left, Lee Camacho, Thea Matthews, and Maile Hampton lay in the middle of the intersection of Market and Castro streets in silence for four and a half minutes during a "LGBT Rally and March for an End to Police Violence" Dec. 24, 2014 in San Francisco, Calif. The group blocked the intersection of Octavia and Market streets where they read the names of some of those killed by police recently. They also held four and a half minutes of silence to symbolize the amount of time Michael Brown's body laid in the street after he was fatally shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo. Afterwards, the group marched up Market to Castro street, where they again blocked the intersection, spoke about the issues faced by black queer people and held another four and a half minutes of silence before dispersing. less From left, Lee Camacho, Thea Matthews, and Maile Hampton lay in the middle of the intersection of Market and Castro streets in silence for four and a half minutes during a "LGBT Rally and March for an End to ... more Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close LGBT groups protest police abuses, block S.F. streets 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

Close to 200 people, many from San Francisco’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, blocked streets in and around the city’s Castro district Wednesday morning, rallying against what they described as systemic police violence toward minorities.

The demonstration is the latest action in the Bay Area following the police killings of unarmed black men in Missouri and New York. Wednesday’s group — made up of people of varying ages and ethnicities — amassed at Market Street and Octavia Boulevard, blocking the Highway 101 ramps temporarily before marching down Market.

“We want to stand in solidarity and say the killings have to stop,” said Janetta Johnson, who works as a program director for a transgender justice project in San Francisco. “There’s a lot of fear of police — especially by black people and brown people.”

Organizers chose to rally on the morning before Christmas to disrupt shopping, saying it was “no time for a celebration.”

“We’re here! We’re queer! Black lives matter!” the crowd chanted.

Officers from the California Highway Patrol and the San Francisco Police Department stood by while some in the group placed a large pink triangle, the symbol for gay rights, in the middle of the intersection at Market and Octavia. A sign next to the symbol read, “Silence = Violence.”

The group then stood in silence to honor Michael Brown, who was shot and killed in Ferguson, Mo., by Officer Darren Wilson, who said he had fired in self-defense after being attacked. The marchers then headed down Market carrying a large banner reading “Black lives matter” while police monitored the crowd.

“Today, we march, proclaiming our demands for police accountability, transparency and an end to institutional racism,” said Thea Matthews, a student and activist leader at City College of San Francisco. “In order to truly have all lives, especially black lives, matter, we must unite all oppressed communities who face police repression and violence.”

Toward the end of the protest, marchers blocked the intersection at Market and Castro streets, listening to speakers and observing a moment of silence.

San Francisco police Lt. Ed Santos said officers who helped direct traffic during the march spoke with protester organizers at the beginning of the rally about their plans.

“They’ve done everything that they can do to be respectful to the citizens of San Francisco. So far, so good,” Santos said.

The protest ended around 10 a.m. at Market and Castro, with marchers singing and holding hands. “The energy was beautiful. It makes you feel a little bit better when you see that people do care,” said Declan Cante, a 21-year-old San Francisco resident who led protesters in chants.

Protests will continue on Christmas Day, at least in Oakland, where a “No Time Off” march is planned to start at 5 p.m. at Broadway and 14th Street near City Hall.

“We are prepared to make sure adequate staffing is on hand — and if that means extending shifts and calling in additional staff, we will do it,” Paul Figueroa, Oakland’s assistant police chief, told The Chronicle.

Hamed Aleaziz and Evan Sernoffsky are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. E-mail: haleaziz@sfchronicle.com, esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @haleaziz, @EvanSernoffsky