Protest outside Chevron refinery leads to fight, traffic jam

Protest outside Chevron refinery leads to fight, traffic jam
David R. Baker, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 1, 2005

(11-01) 11:45 PST RICHMOND -- An early morning protest outside Chevron Corp.'s Richmond refinery today sparked a fistfight at the plant's gate, left several cars with broken windows and created a mile-long traffic jam, police said.

More than 100 demonstrators arrived at the plant around 5:30 a.m. and tried to block the entrance, said Richmond Police Lt. Mark Gagan.

A work shift had just ended, and protesters tried to block employees heading home as well as those heading to the refinery. Traffic on the Richmond Parkway soon froze, with the jam stretching roughly a mile, Gagan said.

When police arrived, a fight had broken out between protesters and drivers whose car windows had been smashed. Police arrested two men, one for assault, the other for felony vandalism.

Some of those in the crowd recently had been fired from the refinery, Gagan said. A Chevron spokesman said some demonstrators also had placards protesting the company's use of non-local workers at the facility. Chevron is performing seasonal maintenance that requires specialized workers, and the company usually brings in outside companies from the Gulf Coast to perform it, said spokesman Dean O'Hair.

E-mail David Baker at dbaker [at] sfchronicle.com.