VALLEJO, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol (CHP) has been actively engaged in the de-escalation of multiple ongoing protests in the Bay Area this morning, including on the Golden Gate Bridge. Working alongside our law enforcement partners in the Bay Area, officers are working to clear lanes.
Officers responded to each location and determined protesters had utilized various devices intended to impede law enforcement’s ability to remove protesters, including 55-gallon drums filled with concrete. Resources from CHP offices across the Bay Area, as well as allied agency personnel from the Oakland Police Department, San Francisco Police Department, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, and Golden Gate Bridge patrol responded to each incident and evaluated what was needed to remove the devices and to take those involved into custody.
- On I-880 @ Embarcadero, officers had to contend with 55-gallon drums filled with cement and heavy-duty chains attaching protesters to the drums. They are actively working to remove these individuals and lanes will be reopened. These individuals will be arrested.
- On I-880 @ 7th Street, approximately 300 protestors refused to comply with orders to disperse. Arrests are taking place.
- On the Golden Gate Bridge, protesters utilized stationary vehicles to chain themselves to as they refused to clear lanes. Approximately 20 people have been arrested and are in custody. The Golden Gate Bridge reopened at approximately 12:15 PM.
This is an intricate operation, and we are making every effort to get the lanes open as quickly as possible.
Attempting to block or shut down a freeway or state highway to protest is unlawful, dangerous, and prevents motorists from safely reaching their destinations. As necessary, the CHP will take enforcement action that includes, but is not limited to, issuing citations, impounding vehicles, arresting individuals who intentionally block traffic on the state’s transportation system or pose a threat to public safety.
12 comments
Lock em up! Take those liberal morons to jail !
This inconvenienced people no mater what political agenda!!!The magnitude of stupidity for the republicans and democrats blocking major freeways is reprehensible, however your comment is out of bounds and dumb?
Whether it’s right or wrong what’s going on in the Middle East. Shit like this in the Bay Area does not give any compassion to any of that, if anything it irritates people and makes them want to care less. Your right to peaceful protests ends when you cause others rights to be affected. Nobody has the right to interfere with public travel, commerce and potential blockage of emergency vehicles etc.
These people need to be arrested and prosecuted.
…lock ’em up and throw away the key. Horrific, disgusting, accomplishes NOTHING, aggravates EVERYONE, and like other recent actions in the MIddle East was merely a SPECTACLE. What also invalidates this is that Hamas still has 40+ Israeli hostages with a demand to release less for more Hamas prisoners — wonder what planet Hamas is on?
It’s completely possible people, children, missed their cancer treatments or the like. This makes me sick. The criminal protesters need to be locked up and civilly fined big time.
This was an act of terrorism. Those drums could have had a number of explosive devices. Lock all these people up now. There must be a message sent here and it isn’t “Don’t”.
They are holding you against your will. If a person any where tells you you can not proceed , legally you can escape any means , you don’t know if they mean to kill or do harm. Criminals have no more rights than citizens. If the police have been ordered to stand down , protect yourself.
They are interfering with interstate commerce by blocking roadway used to move goods. Charge them federally.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Step into traffic, you should expect to become road meat. Pedal to the metal, folks.
Just wait: like the earlier Bay Bridge incident, these people will soon be agitating to have the charges against them dropped and whining that they are being unfairly “persecuted” for exercising their “right of free speech.”
False imprisonment…Charge all!!
Where is the DHS in all of this? Bunch of charlatans wearing keffiyehs can just unload heavy barrels onto our biggest bridge of commerce no problem? If you tried this in October of 2001, I’m pretty sure they’d shut you down and ask questions later. If anything this should be a wake up call to shield up our most vulnerable points and the perpetrators should get a one way ticket to Guantanamo.