At 6:50pm, police arrested four members of San Francisco Food Not Bombs for sharing free food in United Nations Plaza. The police, in a show of force, came out with seven police cars and a paddy wagon to arrest the non-violent activists.

The arrests are part of a growing campaign by the city to crack down on the homeless and poor in the community. The campaign began a week ago with the removal of the benches from the plaza in an attempt to make the plaze less comfortable for those who use it, having a disporpotionate impact on the elderly and disabled. Homeless folks who use the area have complained of an increase in ticketing for quality of life "crimes" and police harrassment.

Those arrested have been charged with violating a court order against Food Not Bombs serving food without a permit. This charge has been used often in the past to arrest members of the group, despite the fact that it is not possible to get permits that allow for sharing food outside more than once every 90 days, and then only in conjunction with an event. Food Not Bombs share food five days every week.

Food Not Bombers have not been arrested at UN Plaza since 1999. Since the San Francisco chapter of Food Not Bombs began in 1988, there have been over 1000 arrests of Food Not Bombs members for attempting to share free food as part of their campaign to draw attention to issues of homelessness and poverty.