A large group of protesters marched from a gathering at Dolores Park on Monday night and tore through the Mission District, vandalizing the Mission District Police Station, several local businesses and cars in the area.

The gathering was meant as a pre May Day event; several groups have planned strikes, protests, marches and rallies throughout the Bay Area on Tuesday. But things turned violent after 9 p.m. as the group, which was dressed in black with masks on, walked down 18th and Valencia streets, smashing windows with crowbars, paint-bombing several businesses and spray-painting and smashing windows on parked cars in the neighborhood.

One person was arrested in the madness. Occupy SF organizers said the meeting was meant as a pep rally of sorts before the big day of action and that they felt like “they were ambushed” by this rogue group.

Several businesses in the area, including restaurants like Locanda and Tartine Bakery along with Four Barrel Coffee and Weston Wear were left to clean up the mess into the early morning hours, many expressing frustration at the mess left behind.

“Recreational rioters” or whatever you call yourselves, you’re shitting all over small businesses AND the _real_ Occupy Movement. It sucks,” tweeted Jeremy Tooker, owner of Four Barrel.

Police were lined up in front of the Mission District station in riot gear and afterwards, talked to business owners and tried to assess the damage done to businesses and cars.

Read more here from Mission Local, who was on the scene on Monday night.

Photo Credit: Mission Local

• Tag: Mission District, Paint-Bomb, Police Station, Protesters, Smashed Windows, vandalism