By Elizabeth Wilson, Megan Cassidy Aug 12, 2024 (SFChronicle.com)
Members of the Golden Gate 26 turn themselves in at San Francisco County Jail on Monday. The group of protesters were charged with felonies and misdemeanors for an April 15 demonstration on the Golden Gate Bridge against the war in Gaza.Minh Connors/The Chronicle
On Monday morning, as the remaining individuals suspected of taking part in an April 15 protest that shut down the Golden Gate Bridge turned themselves in, demonstrators marked the occasion with another protest, calling for a cease-fire in Gaza and railing against the prosecution of those dubbed the “GG 26.”
Twenty-one of the 26 people filed into the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office building downtown around 8 a.m., while dozens of others chanted, banged on drums and scrawled notes of support in chalk on the nearby sidewalk. One of the people charged raised a defiant fist as their group entered the building, prompting an eruption of cheers from the crowd.
“This is not about us, this is about what’s happening in Gaza, and we are demanding a cease-fire,” said Jeff Wozniak, who is part of a group of attorneys representing the defendants. “We are here trying to raise awareness of the ongoing genocide and that has always been the message, that has always been the reason for these actions.”
The latest call to action comes two days after San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced that those accused in the spring protest would each be charged with dozens of criminal offenses, including conspiracy, false imprisonment and trespassing. Eight individuals were charged with felonies, while the rest face misdemeanors.
Prosecutors said hundreds of people who were stuck on the bridge that day contacted authorities to recount how they were affected by the blockade. Among them, officials said, was a surgeon who was forced to cancel all surgeries for the day, an infant stuck without formula who had to miss a pre-surgery medical appointment, and a special needs child who was confined to their school bus.
Wozniak told the Chronicle that five defendants turned themselves in on Sunday and were held for seven to 12 hours before being released on bail.
Walter Riley, another defense attorney on the case, whipped up the crowd Monday by comparing the groups’ actions to “freedom fighters” of previous generations.
“You and all of us have to do everything possible to change the course of our government and to change the course of the struggle, to win more support to fight the genocide,” Riley told the group. “I am here and will be part of your defense and part of your struggle.”
Another speaker told the crowd to build momentum with their energy, and that traffic in California didn’t compare to the war in Gaza, she said.
“Drop the charges,” the crowd chanted.
Each of the suspected demonstrator’s cases includes 38 counts of false imprisonment, which accounts for the 37 victims named in the complaint. The 38th charge is a catchall for hundreds of others who were stuck on the bridge that day, officials said.
Reach Elizabeth Wilson: elizabeth.wilson@sfchronicle.com. Reach Megan Cassidy: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com
Aug 12, 2024
STAFF WRITER
Elizabeth Wilson is an intern on the breaking news team. She is a rising senior at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo majoring in journalism with a minor in political science. She has lived in San Francisco for the past decade and is excited to join the breaking news team. Wilson was most recently a fellow for the CalMatters College Journalism Network, where she covered higher education policy. She previously interned at the San Luis Obispo Tribune. At her campus paper, Wilson is a data and investigations reporter. Her award-winning reporting has focused on student experiences with campus safety. In her free time, she enjoys walking around the city, watching nostalgic TV shows and finding new music.
CRIME REPORTER
Megan Cassidy is a crime reporter with The Chronicle, also covering cops, criminal justice issues and mayhem. Previously, Cassidy worked for the Arizona Republic covering Phoenix police, Sheriff Joe Arpaio and desert-area crime and mayhem. She is a two-time graduate of the University of Missouri, and has additionally worked at the Casper Star-Tribune, National Geographic and an online publication in Buenos Aires. Cassidy can be reached on twitter at @meganrcassidy, and will talk about true crime as long as you’ll let her.
