Paly student reporters attending the Olympic torch running in San Francisco reported that the morning ceremonies were marked by occasionally violent police containment of pro-Tibet protesters and shouting matches between several groups of civilians.

3:05 p.m.

The city of San Francisco has rerouted the path of the San Francisco leg of the Olympic torch running in efforts to protect the torchbearers from riotous crowds.

“The city is taking the Olympic people on a top-secret route without even telling the families of the torchbearers,” junior Voice and Verde reporter Mary Minno said; Minno is trying to catch up with the Olympic torch.

Paly alumnus Mort Lansburnd’s daughter Lorrie Coppoal is scheduled to run the 14th leg of the San Francisco Olympic torch run.

“I support the Olympics wherever it is,” Lansburnd said, though he is disappointed that he will not be able to see his daughter carry the Olympic torch onward.

2:45 p.m. Torch leaving Bay Street, turning right onto Marina Boulevard, headed towards Bay Bridge:

Tension continues to penetrate the atmosphere of the Olympic torch running in San Francisco during its afternoon hours.

“There was this Tibetan group or free Tibet people [supporters] that all sat down in a line, and all the pro-China people were walking up to them and wouldn’t let them pass,” senior Talia Kori said, who arrived with senior Adam Herzog along the expected torch running route in San Francisco. “They [the China supporters] just started yelling at them [the free Tibet supporters].”

Though neither Kori nor Herzog was able to see the actual passing of the torch, as the torch is now traveling along a different path than the originally planned one, simply being among the San Francisco crowds is accompanied by a variety of emotions.

“It was invigorating,” Herzog said. “It was an activist atmosphere, uplifting, [and] pure mayhem.”

2:35 p.m. Torch on Van Ness Avenue:

Viking photographer John Christopherson reported that he had seen protesters fighting with each other.

“Two people got punched and a policeman hit one with the [baton],” Christopherson said.

Viking Editor-in-chief Austin Smith said that the route had been changed from the originally scheduled route. At the time of this posting, two torchbearers were preparing to run down Van Ness Avenue. They were surrounded by an escort of at least eight police motorcycles and two officers on bicycles.

Smith said that most of the tension had been between civilians, with shouting matches breaking out between protesters in favor of Tibetan independence and counter protestors.