A San Francisco jury on Thursday deadlocked on the most serious count in the trial against seven demonstrators who blocked traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge in 2024 while protesting American funding for Israeli military efforts in Gaza.
Jurors could not reach a unanimous decision on the lone felony count of conspiracy, which carried a potential 15-year state prison sentence that many activists and lawyers in the Bay Area saw as unusually severe. Each defendant was found guilty of several misdemeanors, including false imprisonment and obstruction of a thoroughfare.
The protesters were part of a larger group, which calls itself the Golden Gate 26, who on Tax Day in April 2024 parked in the middle of the iconic bridge and poured out of their cars to stage a protest. Most of them stood in front of their vehicles and held banners, including one that read, “Stop the World for Gaza.” A smaller group locked their arms together in metal tubes and refused to budge for four hours until they were arrested and their cars were towed.
The seven who chained themselves together were the ones who were on trial in a San Francisco courtroom. The trial began on May 20, and the jury deliberated for seven days before reaching a verdict.
Prosecutors said that the demonstrators had threatened public safety and forced people to miss work and medical appointments. Nobody was believed to have died or been injured as a result of the bridge shutdown, but many drivers were infuriated.
The district attorney’s push for the felony count surprised many people in a Bay Area region long known for its counterculture and antiwar activism. Some saw it as the latest sign that San Francisco was shedding its progressive identity and focusing more on law and order, with moderate Democrats asserting their leadership over the city.
The jury foreman said on Thursday that jurors had deadlocked on the felony count, with 10 jurors believing the demonstrators were guilty of conspiracy.
The foreman also said the jury deadlocked on a misdemeanor count of trespass that interfered with business, with 11 jurors believing the defendants were not guilty.
The courtroom on Thursday was packed with supporters of the defendants, many of them wearing a kaffiyeh, the scarf that signifies support for Palestinians. As the clerk read the guilty verdicts aloud, many shook their heads and wiped tears from their cheeks.
Among those in the gallery were protesters who held banners but did not link arms during the bridge closure. Many of them had their records wiped clear after they paid restitution and performed five hours of community service.
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