demanding hours, pro-Palestinian protestors blocked the Golden Gate Bridge and Interstate 880 in Oakland as part of a global economic blockade demanding a Gaza ceasefire.
On Monday, 38 were arrested. Similar disruptions occurred at the APEC conference last year.
Protesters stopped the Golden Gate Bridge and I-880 for hours. The CHP stated that protestors chained themselves to automobiles on the bridge.
“These aren’t just roadblockers. I believe you saw those cement-filled black barrels on the I-880 corridor, and we are also dealing with Golden Gate Bridge users who are using automobiles to slow it down, said CHP officer Andrew Barclay.
An angry driver confronted demonstrators.
“If we can tolerate this type of protesting and allow those individuals to disrupt without accountability, then we can absolutely expect more of the same in the future,” said San Jose State University Department of Justice Studies professor Greg Woods.
Professor Woods called Monday’s activities criminal.
“Without the benefit of a license to engage in protest at these particular locations, these individuals are engaging in trespass,” said Woods.
Monday’s protests recall almost five months ago when 80 Middle East cease-fire demonstrators were detained on the Bay Bridge while President Biden was in San Francisco for the APEC conference.
One of many jailed at the Bay Bridge protest was a parent delayed in traffic on her way to work in San Francisco.
We demand what from local law enforcement. Professor Woods said district attorneys will respond to mass movements.
After the 2023 Bay Bridge protest, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins charged 80 demonstrators with five crimes.
“Brooke Jenkins may utilize the same strategy she used to charge this huge group with five offenses, including false imprisonment. “It was overcharged and unusual that they were all charged together,” said Rachel Lederman, center for protest law and litigation senior counsel.
DA Jenkins just dropped the 80 protestors’ felony case. In exchange, demonstrators would do five hours of community service. The attorney claims they’re following the contract.
The Bay Bridge protest delayed UCSF transplant organs last year. The San Francisco Fire Department stated they were ready Monday, despite no 911 calls.
“SFFD rescue captain Justin Schorr said the fire department can coordinate with law enforcement and possibly get an escort for closed lanes on the opposite side of the roadway to reach you, extricate you safely, and move you out of harm’s way and into the ambulance or out of the situation if necessary.
On I-880, the CHP reported hundreds of protests and 12 arrests. The CHP claimed 26 were apprehended on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Last year, DA Jenkins charged 80 demonstrators with false imprisonment, refusing to disperse, and resisting a peace officer. Experts think it may happen this time.