FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 12, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT: PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org
**PRESS STATEMENT**
SF Public Defenders Say Charges Against Bridge Protesters Should be Dropped
SAN FRANCISCO – On Saturday, August 10, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced multiple charges against 26 protesters who were demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to military aid to the state of Israel on the Golden Gate Bridge on April 15. Prosecutors demanded that the individuals turn themselves in to the California Highway Patrol by August 12. The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, which anticipates representing several of these individuals, is issuing the following statement:
Public Defenders support the time-honored tradition of civil disobedience, including the occupation of roadways, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led during the Civil Rights Movement to protest racial segregation in the 1960s.
By charging anti-war protesters with dozens of felonies, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins is weaponizing the law against people of conscience who are demanding an end to the ongoing displacement and killings of thousands of innocent children and adults in Gaza.
Recall that after the Golden Gate Bridge protest in April, Jenkins went fishing on Twitter for complaints about the protest even though no one was injured and the California Highway Patrol cleared the roadway with no resistance from protesters. The CHP should be made to answer for the four-hour delay in resolving the protest, which augmented the inconveniences of commuters.
“The protestors are opposing American tax dollars being used to fund ongoing attacks on the people in Gaza, which the International Criminal Court has deemed crimes against humanity,” said Public Defender Mano Raju. “Our attorneys intend to vehemently defend any individuals we are appointed to represent.”
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