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Demonstrators Block San Francisco Bay Bridge In MLK Day Protest
Protesters linked with the Black Lives Matter movement chained themselves together on the busy San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge on Monday, blocking rush-hour traffic bound for San Francisco.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Day action was to protest police shootings, such as the December San Francisco police killing of Mario Woods, 26, who police said had threatened officers with a knife. Cellphone video appears to show Woods made no sudden movements toward cops. Bridge traffic was stopped for about 30 minutes before California Highway Patrol officers partially reopened the five westbound lanes around 4:30 pm. Protesters hopped out of five cars, wrapped chains around their waists and connected themselves to vehicles. Traffic was backed up for miles. PHOTOS: Protesters blocked westbound #traffic on #BayBridge: https://t.co/Fl9WFPmOIo pic.twitter.com/m2MmE1yHZl Social media posts showed Highway Patrol officers taking people into custody. TV station KPIX said 40 to 45 protesters were arrested. Police have moved on to #baybridge and are taking protesters into custody and cutting chains. pic.twitter.com/kdALe5yCOZ More than 1,000 demonstrators took to Bay Area streets on Monday, starting with a rally near city hall in Oakland, across the bridge from San Francisco. They fanned out across the region to sites that included a mall in nearby Emeryville, where a police last year killed a suspected shoplifter. #ReclaimMLK #BlackLivesMatter juxtaposition of care and psychopathy of the mall pic.twitter.com/0UrSS3uPcS Black Seed and the Black Queer Liberation Council claimed responsibility for Monday's protests. In addition to criticizing shootings by police, the groups called for investments in affordable housing and the resignation of Oakland Mayor LIbby Schaaf and the firing of San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr. Traffic on the bridge remained heavy, even after it was reopened. All lanes for 80 wb Bay Bridge are open. Expect residual delays -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.  More... |
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