Bay Area demonstrators continue to fight for change in Iran

The death of a young Kurdish woman in Iran continues to reverberate around the world. Protests do not seem to be losing steam and are headed into their fourth week.

There was a large gathering of several hundred outside San Francisco’s City Hall Sunday afternoon. Nadine Ravani was one of them.

She said she had first-hand experience with Iran’s so-called morality police during a visit to the country when she was 15.

She said she was stopped after being accused of wearing an overcoat that wasn’t long enough.

"I was detained, held in a van for several hours and eventually released, so I was one of the lucky ones that things didn’t escalate. I wasn’t assaulted," said Ravani.

Others, like Mahsa Amini, don’t always escape such encounters unscathed.

The 22-year-old died in police custody in September after being detained for allegedly incorrectly wearing her head covering, a hijab.

Witnesses said she was beaten, and protesters don’t believe the government, which said she had a heart attack. Her death sparked worldwide protests for regime change.

"The Iranian people attempted to reform the system from within in 2009 with the green revolution when an election was stolen from them, and today they are asking for that system to go away," said Nima Rahimi, co-organizer of Rally.    "They don’t want it anymore. They want something different. And they’re putting their bodies in front of batons, live ammunition, they’re risking arrest.  There’s no turning back now for them."

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Some protestors held signs of those recently killed during protests, a number they say surpasses 500. Many protestors said they’re demonstrating to show solidarity with the people in her homeland who are willing to die to motivate change.

"People, they had enough.  They cannot suffer more than this anymore.  And also, they need to get their freedom like other people in the world, especially for all women in Iran," said Nazy Amyadi.

One after the other, a litany of speakers took to the podium, both local and national elected officials, or representatives on their behalf, vowing support for the movement.

"Regime change for Iran" was one of many popular chants.

While efforts toward that end have been brewing for years, many like Ravani say this time feels different, but can’t explain why.

"This time the people of Iran, the women of Iran, and the men and the allies are fed up, and it’s just the time.  Now is the moment," said one protester. "There’s no other explanation."

Organizers say they plan to continue protesting to raise awareness.

They say this isn’t just an Iranian issue but is instead a humanitarian issue, and they hope the movement begins to attract others from outside their community.