Olympic torch takes a detour in San Francisco to avoid protesters

SAN FRANCISCO – Overwhelmed by a crush of thousands of critics of China's policies on Tibet, the Olympic Torch Relay was cut short Wednesday, forced off its announced scenic route along San Francisco Bay. Instead of a grand send-off near the waterfront, the torch took an unscheduled tour through city streets before quietly departing for South America.

Though the flame burned on, the torch became a moving target for protesters in hot pursuit – and a disappointment to thousands of bystanders from around the world who had lined the Embarcadero for a glimpse of history.

"People are really angry," said Grace Liu, who helped organize a convoy of 500 Chinese Americans from the Sacramento area and 200 Chinese students from the University of California, Davis. "We got up a 6 a.m., bused two hours," Liu said. "It's OK to protest but not OK to ruin the party."

San Francisco is the only North American stop along the torch's 85,000-mile journey, which is meant to build excitement for the Beijing Games. But the torch also has been targeted by activists angered over China's human rights record.

Mayor Gavin Newsom ordered evasive action Wednesday after Police Chief Heather Fong told him she could not guarantee the safety of the torch runners.

There was "a disproportionate concentration of people in and around the start of the relay" at AT&T Park, Newsom told the Associated Press while traveling in a caravan that accompanied the torch.

In a furtive game of cat and mouse, officials ferried the torch about a mile inland from the park, away from protesters and media, and handed it off to two runners who jogged toward the Golden Gate Bridge, in the opposite direction of the crowds awaiting its passing. A phalanx of police cars, vans and motorcycles led the way.

Protesters who'd flooded the Embarcadero hopped on bicycles and skateboards and chased the torch convoy across the city's hilly terrain, relying on cell phones and television helicopters to guess where it would turn next. One rumor had the torch on a boat. A roving crowd kicked over a metal barricade along Bay Street in frustration. More than a few gave up in exhaustion.

The protesting band on wheels caught up with the torch near the marina, waving colorful Tibetan flags and good-naturedly heckling the torchbearers. One protester lobbed a yellow water balloon, which broke on a police cruiser. But the crowd was generally peaceful.

"Put out the torch – take a stand!" declared Victor Brar, a University of California, Berkeley, graduate student, as a pair of torchbearers awaited their turn. One of the runners acknowledged Brar with a smile and flashed a peace sign. The half-dozen police officers protecting the runners looked on with stern faces.

Friends and family of Sacramento torchbearer Sean Baumstark had gathered early Wednesday near Pier 39 in hopes of seeing Baumstark and the torch, but they never saw a flicker. Baumstark, 26, was running to call attention to Friedrich's ataxia, a rare disease he's battled for a year.

"We've got some very disappointed people," said Vicki Hartigan of Fair Oaks, whose 12-year-old daughter Ashley also is battling the disease, a form of muscular dystrophy.

"To us this was a lot more than just the Olympics, this was about a disease that has taken over our lives," she said. "This was very important for my daughter to see. The protesters are no better than the people they're protesting against."

Ashley, a sixth-grader, had pulled herself out of her wheelchair and grabbed onto a metal barricade, trying to catch a glimpse of Baumstark and the torch. "I was excited," she said, clutching the railing as she stood next to the torchbearer's mother, Elaine Baumstark of Vacaville.

After the parade was rerouted and the closing ceremony moved from the waterfront to San Francisco International Airport, the flame was put directly on a plane and was not displayed.

The torch is scheduled to travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and then to a dozen other countries before arriving in China on May 4. The Olympics begin Aug. 8. The torch began its worldwide trek from Ancient Olympia in Greece to Beijing on March 24.

About the writer:

• Call The Bee's Stephen Magagnini, (916) 321-1072. The Associated Press contributed to this report.