Motorists delayed by Golden Gate protest may be entitled to ‘restitution’
S.F.’s D.A. says people were ‘trapped’ during a bridge takeover that led to 26 arrests.
People who were trapped on the Golden Gate Bridge for hours during a recent pro-Palestinian protest might be considered victims, entitled to “restitution,” San Francisco Dist. Atty. Brooke Jenkins said.
In a post on the social media platform X, Jenkins urged those affected by the bridge closure to contact the California Highway Patrol and detail “what happened to you + contact info so you can be alleged as a victim.”
A total of 26 people were arrested last week as part of a protest that shut down the landmark for hours.
Such protests have been on the rise in California, as they’ve been throughout the country, since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel and Israel’s forceful response.
Demonstrations have been held on streets and bridges, and there have been confrontations at city council meetings. Demonstrators have targeted the homes of prominent politicians, including Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as the home of a UC Berkeley law professor. Even the graduation ceremony at USC has been affected, with the cancellation of a Muslim valedictorian’s commencement speech because of safety concerns.
The protest on the Golden Gate Bridge was part of a series of coordinated demonstrations organized by A15 Action, an international campaign calling for a general economic blockade to draw attention to the war in Palestine.
According to the group’s website, the events were organized “with the aim of causing the most economic impact.”
In a statement, Jenkins said the prosecutor’s office must “protect avenues for free speech,” but protesters “unlawfully shut down traffic and trapped hundreds of people.”
It’s unclear what kind of “restitution” people affected by the protest would be entitled to, but Jenkins cited California’s Marsy’s Law, which states that victims who “suffer losses” as a result of criminal activity can receive restitution from the person convicted of the crime.
California Highway Patrol Officer Darrell Horner told SFGate that investigators were still hearing from individuals who were on the bridge, with complaints about being stranded with no restroom, missing medical appointments and being unable to get to work.
According to the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District, about 112,000 vehicles travel across the bridge each day.
Jenkins’ office did not immediately respond to questions about possible restitution.
In the statement, Jenkins pointed out that the protest was “part of a larger, coordinated set of international demonstrations that included the unlawful shutdown of other major public thoroughfares in the Bay Area.”
Those actions included a simultaneous takeover of a section of Interstate 880 across the bay in Oakland, resulting in 12 arrests.
The 26 people arrested in the Golden Gate Bridge disruption were booked on multiple misdemeanor charges and a single felony charge of conspiracy, Jenkins said in the statement.
Prosecutors are determining if other charges might be filed, according to Jenkins’ statement.
In a statement on Facebook, A15 Action called the conspiracy charges “unfounded” and an intimidation tactic to “keep peaceful protesters detained for nearly 48 hours.”
“Such threats are a form of state violence that seeks to chill the exercise of 1st Amendment rights,” the statement read.