By Alex Emslie
STAFF WRITER

Members of Bay Area Coalition of Welcoming Congregations lead the march from Church Street to Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco On May 26 in support of overturning Prop. 8. RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

Supporters of same-sex marriage gathered in force early Tuesday morning at St. Frances Lutheran Church and marched chanting and singing to hear the state Supreme Court’s decision on the fate of Proposition 8. The cautiously optimistic crowd erupted into boos and shouts of, “shame on you,” when the decision was announced at approximately 10:03 a.m.

Of the three arguments before California’s highest court, two challenged the constitutionality of Prop. 8’s denial of marriage to same-sex couples. In a 6-1 vote, those constitutional challenges were rejected, and the amendment to the state constitution stating “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California,” was upheld.

The third argument before the state Supreme Court, raised by attorney’s representing The Official Proponents of Proposition 8 and asking for the annulment of roughly 18,000 same-sex marriages conducted before the passage of the amendment, was unanimously denied by the court. Common supreme court practice denies the retroactive application of new laws unless the legislation contains specific language requiring it. Prop. 8, as it was presented to voters, contained no such language.

Protester of the state Supreme Court's decision on upholding Prop.8 being arrested for blocking the intersection of Van Ness Avenue and Grove Street in San Francisco on May 26. RAMSEY EL-QARE / THE GUARDSMAN

After the announcement, angry protesters moved to block the intersection of Grove Street and Van Ness Avenue, just outside City Hall. San Francisco Police Department Lieutenant Slade said, one platoon — or about 60 officers — were present at the civil disobedience following the announcement. According to sfexaminer.com, 175 protesters were arrested and released.

“This is a great demonstration between community activists and local clergy who are really outraged by the decision of the Supreme Cxourt to uphold Proposition 8,” said Rev. Roland Stringfellow of The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry. He said despite the Court’s decision not to nullify previous same-sex marriages, many protesters still saw the ruling as a defeat. “That is why we’re out on the streets today to make our voices heard and also put our bodies on the line.”  Rev. Stringfellow was arrested roughly 30 minutes later.

United Methodist Minister Israel Alvaren, who helped to coordinate about 40 clergy members with the organization One Struggle, One Fight, said he had cooperated with the SFPD to stage the protest. “Yes. We had a liaison,” an SFPD Leiutenent said. “We’re going to give them their time to express their opinions and differences, possibly for about an hour. At that point, we have to restore order.”

Proponents of Proposition 8 also made a smaller appearance Tuesday, hoisting signs reading “‘Gay’ = Perverted” and “Marriage is still one man and one woman.”

“Our social fiber is based upon the relationship between a man and a female,” said Steve Macias, student body president of Sacramento City College. “That is the beginning of the family; the beginning of society. [The] ruling upholds the right way to conduct society. Without this, we have a degradation of society.”  He also said the state Supreme Court’s decision against nullification was “politically motivated.”

Frank Parish, who said he had worked for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, was outside the Supreme Court building collecting signatures for an initiative to strike down Proposition 8. He said more than 700,000 signatures would be required, since some would disqualified. Rev. Stringfellow said they would, “get marriage equality back on the ballot hopefully as soon as 2010 and, if not, 2012.”

“As a person of faith I would just say that the fight is not over; that we struggle in the tradition of the leaders of the civil rights leaders of the past,” concluded Alvaren. “This is a civil rights issue. For those who are on our side, let them have hope that this will, in the end, be a triumph for justice and equality.”

Ramsey El-Qare contributed to this story

By Natalie Coreas
Arts & Entertainment Editor

City College students, along with other concerned individuals, participated in protests around San Francisco concerning the attacks by Israel on Palestinian Gaza to educate other students about the situation.

During the past 10 days Ahmed Alkhatib, 18, a sophomore at City College, has peacefully participated in all but one of the marches against the war. Most of them have embarked from Market Street, stopping traffic in the busy downtown area and went to City Hall, the Israeli Consulate or the Federal Building. He holds a picket sign with the slogan “Stop the Genocide in Gaza”, which displays dozens of images of wounded Palestinian civilians.

Alkhatib came to San Francisco from Gaza City in 2005 as a foreign exchange high-school student and was supposed to return to his family in Gaza after a year. He was detained in Egypt for three months and then sent back to the U.S. because war had erupted in Lebanon. Upon returning to the U.S., he applied for political asylum, which was granted in October 2008.

His mom, dad, brother and sister still live in Gaza City. “It is really bad. Things have been really difficult over there,” Alkhatib said. “My family has been imprisoned in their own home, they have been without electricity for 7 days.” His family, he says, is preparing him for the worst. “They take no violent actions, yet they still continue to suffer,” he said. To him the situation is a “nightmare” and all of it could be easily stopped by Israel.

Alkhatib volunteers for the Western Regional Advocacy Project (W.R.A.P), which assists with legal advocacy for the homeless and fights civil rights injustices. He is also involved with the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (A.R.O.C), which organizes the Arab community in the Bay Area.

Alkhatib hopes to work with City College’s Muslim Student Association (MSA) to help spread the word and inform students at City College of the incidents in Gaza and the use of U.S. tax dollars to supply Israeli troops. “I do not necessarily want to do protests, but public relations, [about] who we are as Muslims and as Arabs,” Alkhatib said.

“I want to bring in educational material. I want to connect the dots,” Alkhatib said and added he wants “to teach that we [Palestinians] are not terrorists.”

Simon Perez, left, a reporter for CBS 5 interviews 18-year-old City College student Ahmed Alkhatib during the Jan. 5 protest in San Francisco of the conflict currently occurring in the Gaza Strip. ALEX LUTHI / THE GUARDSMAN

MSA member Sana Benharchache, 19, originally from Algeria, also participated in one of the marches. “After my eyes had seen enough and cried themselves dry, I felt a compelling urge to do something,”  Benharchache said. “I attended the protest in front of the Israeli consulate and realized I was not alone. Angry crowds rushed to the streets, trying to find a way to express the anger inside them and I joined. But then I realized that I had to do more.”

As a MSA member, Benharchache hopes the association will participate in raising awareness on campus about the war in Gaza. She hopes to shed light on what, she believes, is not just a religious or ethnic problem, but rather a world problem.

She believes that change can only come from educating the public with a voice different from the American media. It will give the public a different perspective of the conflict in Gaza.

“They will then understand why we are willing to fight and die for a free Palestine,” Benharchache said. With the protests and the help of the MSA on campus, Benharache hopes that “They [the student body] will finally understand the famous Arabic chant “With our soul, with our blood, we will redeem you, oh Palestine”.