Pro-Palestine protesters arrested for blocking the Golden Gate Bridge earlier this week were released from jail after San Francisco’s district attorney stated she wasn’t ready to file charges yet.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins held a press conference Tuesday discussing the arrest and charges held against the 26 pro-Palestine protesters who blocked traffic for hours on the major San Francisco bridge Monday. Jenkins stated that after being taken into custody, the activists were charged with multiple misdemeanors as well as a single felony charge of conspiracy.
Due to the felony charge, they were then placed in the San Francisco County Jail, however, their custody status forced the District Attorney’s office to file charges within 48 hours of their arrest, Jenkins said. The district attorney said due to the number of charges her office would be filing, along with a proper investigation to be completed by the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the 48-hour timeline was too restrictive. (RELATED: Pro-Palestinian Protesters Block Golden Gate Bridge, Stall Traffic)
“In order for my office to review evidence in order to make this charging decision, I want to make clear that San Francisco, as well as myself as the District Attorney, support free speech. We support those who want to make sure that their First Amendment rights are observed and that their point of views are heard,” Jenkins stated.
“But where we must draw the line is when acts of free speech endanger public safety, and just like we saw with the Bay Bridge protest two months ago, we now have a similar situation that took place on the Golden Gate Bridge yesterday,” she said. “And we must make sure that public safety is observed in San Francisco and that is what we are committed to doing, but at this time, we have to wait for this investigation to be completed before we can make the necessary charging decisions to go forward.”
While it is unclear when the charges will be filed against the protesters, the district attorney stated that CHP could finish their investigation in a matter of days.