A handful of demonstrators protesting the death a year of ago of a man being chased by San Francisco police blocked two Muni Metro lines from entering the downtown tunnel for about 45 minutes Monday morning.

The group of 30 protesters marched in a circle in front of a J-Church line train at Church Street and Duboce Avenue, starting at about 6:45 a.m. The demonstration prevented all J-Church and N-Judah lines from traveling through the area. Bus shuttles were brought in to replace the trains.

The group left a little after 7:30 a.m. and marched down Market before dispersing.

The group was marking the first anniversary of the death of Kenneth Wade Harding, 19, who died in a gunfight with police officers in the Bayview on July 16, 2011.

Harding was fleeing from police who had tried to stop him for failing to pay a Muni fare. Investigators say Harding shot himself to death, apparently accidentally, as he tried to fire at officers.

Seattle police said at the time that they had been looking for Harding in connection with the shooting death three days earlier of a 19-year-old woman. He was also on parole for trying to prostitute a 14-year-old girl.

The bullet that entered Harding's neck and lodged in his head was from a .380-caliber handgun, a weapon that San Francisco officers do not carry, police said. A .380-caliber bullet was found in Harding's pocket, and he had gunshot residue on his hand, police said.

The gun allegedly used in the killing was not immediately found, but investigators located it several days later, police said.

Demonstrators, however, question the police version of events.

"There was no gun found on (Harding)," said Taffy Sourov, 19, as he marched down Market. "The evidence shows an innocent black man shot down."

Some passers-by such as Todd Unnerstall, 42, said they didn't see why the demonstrators had to block the street to make their point.

"I am in support of the issue, but these halfwits are ruining the message," Unnerstall said. "All they want is attention."

Sourov said a public march was the best way to make the point.

"I do understand the frustration of feeling like you have no other recourse," he said. "This is one of their tactics of messing with the city."
