S.F. BART snuffs cell phone service in anticipation of police protests

August 12, 2011 By Jeff Hughes

BART snuffs cell service in San Francisco in an effort to quell an anticipated protest against police. Was this a heavy handed tactic or where they justified in their concern over safety?

The San Francisco Bay Area’s mass transit system, known as BART, admitted to temporarily shutting down cell phone service in four of its San Francisco stations last night. The suppression of cell signals was apparently a response to the threat of a possible protest over a man shot by BART police last month.

“Organizers planning to disrupt BART service on August 11, 2011 stated they would use mobile devices to coordinate their disruptive activities and communicate about the location and number of BART Police…BART temporarily interrupted service at select BART stations as one of many tactics to ensure the safety of everyone on the platform.” Officials for the transit system explained in a statement.

Cnet reports that the disruption was planned to protest the death of 45-year-old Charles Blair Hill, a homeless man who was shot by BART police on July 3 for throwing bottles and brandishing a four-inch knife. The protest against BART police failed to actualize itself last night.

Cell phone service was not suspended outside of the select BART stations. The cell jamming occurred between 4 p.m. And 7 p.m. PT at the Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell and Civic center stations according to BART’s deputy communication officer James Allison. The big carriers who provide service in the tube—Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile—were notified after service had been cut.

In their statement, BART officials address issues concerning freedom of speech and safety; however, the transit system is drawing criticism for what some consider a heavy handed tactic.

The Northern California ACLU said, “Shutting down access to mobile phones is the wrong response to political protests, whether it’s halfway around the world or right here in San Francisco. You have the right to speak out.”

Anonymous activists are calling for retaliation against the cell service snuffing with a flyer describing this event as muBARTek, referring to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak creating an internet blackout earlier this year to quell protests.

Showing 5 comments

Objector at 7:17am 14th August 2011 DID the police have direct evidence of conspiracy to incite violence? If they're allowed to act this way without evidence, what's to stop them coming into your home or mine because they think we may go berserk and slap our wives? They stepped over the line a bit here. Just my opinion...
1. TechFreak at 9:29am 14th August 2011 There were pictures of people climbing on the BART. That's not peaceful. They also would have disrupted families and other people from using the BART that day. They should have stayed out of the station for their protest.I think it was smart of BART to block phone reception. With what's going on in the UK, I think a lot of protesters are starting to get the wrong idea...
Objector at 7:05am 14th August 2011 "there was no reason to believe that any type of «flash» protest would not, in all probability, result in violence." ~ Really?! What evidence did the police have to prove that the intent of the protest was anything but peaceabledisapproval
Monopilot2010 at 10:52am 13th August 2011 American citizens absolutely have the right to speak out, whether it be in political protest or in protest of what might be considered a unjustifiable action by law enforcement. We do NOT, however, have the right to incite violence against ANYONE for ANY reason, and that includes law enforcement personnel who are tasked with providing for our safety and security. BART was right to shut down cell service in their stations as there was no reason to believe that any type of "flash" protest would not, in all probability, result in violence. The ACLU is off-base on this...it's time that we all saw these types of protests for exactly what they are: knee-jerk reactions by those who have a distorted view of justice. GOOD JOB, BART!
1. TechFreak at 9:26am 14th August 2011 Agreed. You have it exactly right. I read CNN and some other outlets, and it looks like the rioters were going to be pretty rough. They showed a picture of a person ON TOP of BART having to be pulled off. That's dangerous and tells me these rioters were out to cause trouble.The minute anyone gets aggressive is the minute their message disappears. They need to stay organized and peaceful.