{"id":21568,"date":"2022-02-26T12:13:07","date_gmt":"2022-02-26T20:13:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=21568"},"modified":"2022-02-26T12:14:43","modified_gmt":"2022-02-26T20:14:43","slug":"ukrainians-across-bay-area-rally-at-sf-city-hall-as-war-with-russia-sparks-fears-for-family-friends-back-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2022\/02\/26\/ukrainians-across-bay-area-rally-at-sf-city-hall-as-war-with-russia-sparks-fears-for-family-friends-back-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukrainians Across Bay Area Rally at SF City Hall as War with Russia Sparks Fears for Family, Friends Back Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Written by&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/sfstandard.com\/author\/sarah-wright\/\">Sarah Wright<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/sfstandard.com\/author\/sophie-bearman\/\">Sophie Bearman<\/a> Published Feb. 24, 2022 (SFStandard.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen=\"1\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/yykcm0O1VJo?autoplay=0&amp;controls=0&amp;disablekb=1&amp;playsinline=1&amp;cc_load_policy=0&amp;cc_lang_pref=auto&amp;widget_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fsfstandard.com%2Fpolitics%2Fsf-ukrainians-rally-in-fear-for-families-country%2F%3Futm_source%3DThe%2520San%2520Francisco%2520Standard%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3Dee698521c4-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_02_25_04_45%26utm_term%3D0_f81e82e2a3-ee698521c4-477840806&amp;noCookie=true&amp;rel=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;iv_load_policy=3&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fsfstandard.com&amp;widgetid=1\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Hundreds of people gathered Thursday at San Francisco\u2019s City Hall to protest the Russian bombing and invasion of Ukraine in a war that is threatening to destabilize the global economy and draw other nations into the fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Russian aggression has been building for weeks as thousands of soldiers began to encroach on Ukraine\u2019s borders on multiple fronts. Bombings that began late Wednesday San Francisco-time gave way to a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/russia-ukraine-putin-attack-a05e7c4563ac94b963134bba83187d46\">full military occupation by the morning<\/a>. Since the siege began, Ukrainians in the city and across the Bay Area have been posting on social media, many asking for prayers and words of support, while also expressing hopelessness as their country is attacked on all sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At City Hall on Thursday, hundreds of protesters gathered together, hugging, crying and singing the Ukrainian national anthem. Many held Ukrainian flags and signs saying, \u201cProtect Ukraine,\u201d \u201cBiden help,\u201d and \u201cstop Russian aggression.\u201d&nbsp;<em>Video by Sophie Bearman<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Olga Ramsey, who was born and raised in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, was among the protesters. She said she tried to get her parents to come to the United States weeks ago when the conflict began to escalate. Now, she\u2019s scared for her friends and loved ones who woke up to bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t make any sense,\u201d Ramsey said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/zppc-GrwxyXSJvLO6tAtRfxa4rWqb9mDKgXTXcrgzhqFLG-37KAyeYul9iHesdAsJC3rdw-qJfFJZ0U-CB1z5vbq4W674_xgBkZ9ln4FGi_BwtglzO5Y52xeTR3Ss8SswLiwmQP5\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption><em>Olga Ramsey, who was born and raised in Kyiv, joins hundreds of protesters at City Hall in response to Russian attacks on Ukraine.<\/em>&nbsp;I&nbsp;<em>Photo by Sophie Bearman<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Local businesses like&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CaXUXDsIOxZ\/\">Globus Books<\/a>&nbsp;and elected officials representing San Francisco, including State&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Scott_Wiener\/status\/1496905996064927745\">Sen. Scott Wiener,<\/a>&nbsp;released statements in support of the Ukrainian people and government.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe have to win\u2014we just have to,\u201d Wiener said in a speech at Thursday\u2019s protest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also coming out in opposition to the war was Supervisor Hillary Ronen, who is Ukrainian-Jewish on both sides of her family\u2014her father emigrated from Palestine in his 20s after his family escaped the Bolsheviks, and her mother was third-generation born in Milwaukee. Ronen said she\u2019s never been to Ukraine and doesn\u2019t feel especially connected to the culture or community, but today\u2019s news hit close to home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn many ways, I\u2019m a disconnected bystander that\u2019s just watching in horror like anyone else,\u201d Ronen said. \u201cOn the other hand, I know that my entire origin story comes from that place and those people that are in harm\u2019s way right now. Not only could they lose their lives, but they could lose their country\u2014and it\u2019s maddening.\u201d<em>Video by Sophie Bearman<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Andrii and Svitlana, who emigrated from Ukraine eight years ago, were shopping with their son Thursday at New World Market on Geary Boulevard just as President Biden went on television to address the nation on the conflict. The couple\u2019s parents live in Melitopol in the southeastern part of the country. Pointing to a map, Andrii, who asked that his family\u2019s last name not be used, said his family fled the country to the United States, where their son was born, because of this same conflict. He\u2019s been following the situation and grew increasingly frustrated and worried in the weeks leading up to today\u2019s invasion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThose are Russian troops,\u201d Andrii said, holding up a video on his phone. \u201cWe know this street. This is where we lived.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CNN reported explosions at Melitopol Air Base on Thursday.SEE ALSO<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sfstandard.com\/city-hall\/2021-top-ten-lobbying-clients-san-francisco-city-hall\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sfstandard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_0006-4_CROPPED-180x180.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sfstandard.com\/category\/politics\/\">Politics<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sfstandard.com\/city-hall\/2021-top-ten-lobbying-clients-san-francisco-city-hall\/\">The Standard Top 10: Which Companies Spent the Most to Lobby SF City Hall in 2021?<\/a><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p>So far, the couple\u2019s parents have had continued internet and phone service, and civilians have not been targeted in their region, Andrii said. He said people they know back home are sheltering in subways and stuck in massive traffic jams. And with Russian troops closing in from nearly all sides, relocating within the country doesn\u2019t make sense for the family, either. Svitlana\u2019s father reported taking two hours just to get to the gas station.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are deeply frustrated because it\u2019s a life-threatening situation for both our parents,\u201d Andrii said. \u201cThere is not much we can do right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alexei, who was working the front counter at the market and also asked that his last name not be used, said like all Ukrainians he feels scared. He\u2019s a gay immigrant who came to San Francisco a year ago to flee persecution in Eastern Europe. He said most Ukrainians speak Russian and Ukrainian, or even just Russian, and there is widespread appreciation for Russian culture and the country\u2019s people\u2014except for Russian President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s only Putin, it\u2019s not people,\u201d Alexei said. \u201cUkrainian people are not fighting Russian culture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Afraid for his friends in Kyiv and his mother and sister, who live in Ukrainian cities Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, Alexei was been glued to the news Thursday for any new information. But he said his loved ones haven\u2019t considered leaving the country.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe doesn\u2019t want to move,\u201d Alexei said of his mother. \u201cShe wants to live in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sarah Wright can be reached at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:sarah@sfstandard.com\">sarah@sfstandard.com<\/a>.<\/em><br><em>Sophie Bearman can be reached at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:sophie@sfstandard.com\">sophie@sfstandard.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Written by&nbsp;Sarah Wright,&nbsp;Sophie Bearman Published Feb. 24, 2022 (SFStandard.com) Hundreds of people gathered Thursday at San Francisco\u2019s City Hall to protest the Russian bombing and invasion of Ukraine in a war that is threatening to destabilize the global economy and draw other nations into the fight. Russian aggression has been&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2022\/02\/26\/ukrainians-across-bay-area-rally-at-sf-city-hall-as-war-with-russia-sparks-fears-for-family-friends-back-home\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21568"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21568"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21568\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21571,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21568\/revisions\/21571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}