26 Golden Gate Bridge protesters turn themselves in after DA files charges
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Twenty-six people are now facing criminal charges for their role in pro-Palestinian protests which shut the Golden Gate Bridge down for hours back in April.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins gave them until 9 a.m. Monday morning to turn themselves in. And one by one, 26 protesters walked into the San Francisco County Jail.
"Everyone is surrendering themselves today so that they can be cited out and then show up in court," said Jeff Wozniak, an attorney representing the 'Golden Gate 26' from the National Lawyers Guild.
Jenkins issued arrest warrants for the group on Saturday. They each face 40 charges including false imprisonment, conspiracy and trespassing for their role in the anti-war protest that shut down the Golden Gate Bridge in April.
RELATED: 26 pro-Palestinian protesters charged for blocking Golden Gate Bridge back in April, SF DA says
"These are people with no criminal record, that could just be, there's no requirement that it had to go this way - it's a humongous waste of resources, a humongous waste of money but this is how DA Jenkins chose to go forward and we're going to fight this case and we're going to get it dismissed," said Wozniak.
But this group is wondering why they're being treated so differently compared to the 'Bay Bridge 78.'
"At the end of the day, we were dismissed from our charges, they were dropped against us and we were able to go on," said Maisa Morrar, a member of the 'Bay Bridge 78.'
Morrar was one of the 78 protesters who shut down the Bay Bridge back in November. She says as a group, they only faced five charges. All of which, were eventually dropped. All they had to do was a few hours of community service and pay restitution. ABC7 News asked Jenkins about the difference.
VIDEO: 38 Pro-Palestinian protesters arrested after shutdown of Golden Gate Bridge, I-880 in Oakland: CHP
"In the Bay Bridge case, one it was a new experience for us but also we did not have anyone call in as to report their status as a victim and how they were impacted," Jenkins said.
She says her office received more than 100 calls from people impacted by the closure.
"We had someone with a brain tumor who was scheduled for surgery and was not able to have that surgery," she said. "We had a child with disabilities, cerebral palsy, stuck on a specialized school bus for over four hours without anyone but the school bus driver."
But others say the false imprisonment charge is a stretch.
MORE: New CA bill would double penalties for protestors who obstruct traffic, highways
"We know for a fact, we were told even, people that were on the bridge, CHP have even told people there's a way for emergency vehicles to leave so definitely this trumped up charge of holding people hostage is really outrageous," Morrar said.
ABC7 News asked Jenkins if she was making an example out of this case for future protests.
"No one wants to see the amount of carnage and death that's happening as a result of this conflict but we cannot jeopardize the safety of others in our expression," she said.
All 26 suspects are set to be arraigned this week.
