photo credit: Bay Area Palestine Solidarity
Nearly 80 protesters who shut down the Bay Bridge for hours in November have accepted community service and were ordered to pay restitution in exchange for the end to legal proceedings against them.
The protesters blocked the westbound lanes of the bridge east of Treasure Island during the height of the morning commute on Nov. 16, 2023 to call for a ceasefire in Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip.
Seventy-eight of the people charged for their alleged activity that day accepted a judge’s pre-plea offer Thursday to enter a diversion program, which includes completing five hours of community service within two months, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.
Also, they must all pay restitution to a woman who suffered a medical emergency and needed to be evacuated from the bridge after she was caught in the massive traffic jam that resulted from the protest, prosecutors said.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, the total restitution amount to be paid will be set at a future date but the protesters put out a news release Thursday saying they expect to pay a maximum of $4,448 ($57 per person).
“This is a victory not only for those exercising their right to protest a genocide being fueled by their tax dollars, but for the growing global movement demanding freedom for the Palestinian people,” protester Aisha Nizar said.
The protest coincided with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference in San Francisco and President Joe Biden’s visit to the region.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said her office dismissed one case for lack of evidence and one person declined the diversion program and will be in court on April 15 for an arraignment.
“I truly believe that we can achieve engaging in free expression while maintaining the safety of our communities,” Jenkins said.
What a crock. I hope the community service will be picking up garbage in S.F and Oakland and the $4,448 fine is per person.
$4,448 fine is total for everyone.
@LOU…. Supply each of them with a pooper scooper, an empty 5gal. paint bucket, a bucket of soapy water and a hand brush. Clean a sidewalk or two…easy peasy.
5 hours lol what a joke. Get rid of these idiots that run these streets.
SF DA openly legitimizing anti-Semitism
How was this not considered false imprisonment since these protestors held drivers against their will?
What a bunch of cxxp! … good example of what Calif has become ….. disgusting
What a joke! What about the lost wages, missed appointments and everyone’s inconvenience? Yes they have a right to protest but, they do Not have a right to disrupt everyone’s daily life! 5 hours? Give me a break!
Shocker. Weak A$# DA
Obviously this sorry DA has no concern to compensate the drivers that were late to work, missed their flights at SFO, missed doctors appointments made weeks or months earlier, etc. I am really so sick of this “slap on the wrist” justice being dished out by these incompetent DA’s.
You have to understand, the revolutionaries in the DA office are all on the same side as the protesters. People actually protesting against unjust governments don’t get slaps on the wrist. The DAs do the minimum possible prosecution to keep us proles from overthrowing them, and allow their street soldiers to keep marching.
Try to spin out on a rainbow flag painted on the street, or remove a BLM symbol as was painted on the street in Martinez, and they will give you hard time. Suddenly their warm fuzziness for peaceful protest evaporate and the real authoritarian comes out.
We are ruled by revolutionary Marxists here. I’m not going to stop harping on it until people wake up to this fact.
Time for civil lawsuits – hey John Burris, where are you???
Tolerance and apathy kill society.
They should have received swimming lessons, the quick way.
Wasn’t a cease-fire in effect until last October 7? Who broke it?
AD
You’ve got to be kidding me. Our state has absolutely lost it!!
5 HOURS??? What a crock of sheet!
They should take their butts over to Gaza and do something about it. Instead of illegal protecting, stop hiding behind America’s freedoms and go over their and fight for a ceasefire! They will set their @$$’s on fire after the do hideous things to them.
Tap on the wrist ensures further actions.
Should have been a minimum of 80 hrs ea. Plus a $ fine.
How many of them will actually show up? How ,any are not from this area?
They all need 6 months of weekly mental counseling.And a civics class. And a law class.
This was an outrageous disposition. I can only think that there must be some evidentiary reason such a sweetheart deal was made. DA Jenkins is not a soft-on-crime DA. Somthing or someone must have had some overwhelming pressure that they exerted to allow such a (in my opinion) miscarriage. Even a requirement for community service to ‘fit the crime’ could have been 150 or 200 hours of service to Synagogues coupled with a hefty fine. Additionally, those who tossed their keys over the bridge side, should have been considered to have donated their cars to Kars for Kids. Such a ridiculous outcome. I am very disappointed.
Cars for kids is a well known scam
https://www.charitywatch.org/charity-donating-articles/costly-and-continuous-kars4kids-ads-disguise-charity39s-real-purpose
https://ecoxplorer.com/2022/12/scam-alert-kars4kids-car-donation-charity/
“The Minnesota Attorney-General accused Kars4Kids of spending just $12,000 on programs for Minnesota kids after raising some $3 million in the state, and neglecting to tell donors it turns over 90% of money left over after advertising and other expenses to another non-profit with a narrow religious and geographical focus in another state, thousands of miles away from Minnesota.”
Sounds like the Clinton Foundation, but they used 90% of donated cash for “administrative purposes”.
Even Chelsea told them they were like a couple of “Grifters”.
Someone needs to find out when and where the community service is taking place. Show up with a bullhorn and read from the Torah and Talmud for five hours.
Im so sick of these people protesting. screwing up my commute , like I am supposed to do anything about whats going on over there. Just because of the way these Palestinians act, I hope Israel Levels that place