San Francisco protesters get service, fines

SAN FRANCISCO — Seventy-eight protesters were ordered to do five hours of community service and pay restitution to avoid criminal proceedings for allegedly blocking traffic on the San Francisco-oakland Bay Bridge for hours in November to demand a cease-fire in Gaza, prosecutors said.

The Nov. 16 protest came as San Francisco was hosting President Joe Biden and other world leaders for the Asia-pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Protesters calling for a cease-fire have also blocked major roadways in other cities including Los Angeles.

About 200 protesters participated in the San Francisco demonstration during the global trade summit, and they blocked all lanes of traffic into San Francisco on the bridge’s upper deck, with some drivers tossing their keys into the bay. Eighty people were arrested, and 29 vehicles were towed.

The 80 suspects faced charges of false imprisonment, refusing to comply with a peace officer, unlawful public assembly, refusing to disperse and obstruction of a street, sidewalk or other place open to the public. Prosecutors dropped one case for insufficient evidence, and another person declined the court’s offer for a pre-trial diversion program.

The remaining 78 accepted the court’s offer, which will include each person paying a to-be-determined restitution amount to someone who needed to be evacuated from the bridge, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.

“We remain committed to ensuring that San Francisco is a safe city for everyone who lives and enters our city,” District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement. “We will continue to ensure that appropriate avenues for the expression of free speech and social advocacy exist and are protected in San Francisco. I truly believe that we can achieve engaging in free expression while maintaining the safety of our communities.”