Bay Area commuters have harshly criticized the recent anti-Israel protest which blocked traffic on Golden Gate Bridge for several hours. They called it “such a nuisance and very destructive” for those trying to reach San Francisco for work or to make ends meet.
Ronald Davis, a commuter who travels from Novato to San Francisco every day, describes the frustration that he experienced while waiting six hours for traffic to move on the bridge, as protesters shouted “Free Palestine”.
Davis said, “You know, many of us just wanted to get home, to work, to the doctor, or for mothers to get their children to school, the inconvenience greatly affected everyone.”
According to local media, the Bay Area commuter described what happened at the protest on Monday that resulted in hours of gridlock and 26 arrests.
Davis, however, said that he did not believe the protesters had been dealt with adequately and that the police treated them too gently rather than cracking down on the area and clearing it more quickly.
He said, “I had no idea that someone could stop a bridge to protest.” “I watched highway patrol arrest people and then bring them to a corner, uncuff them, and let them return to their cars freely. This was very disappointing.”
Davis said that the entire scene appeared to be a wasteful use of police resources.
He said, “It’s like there were so many policemen out here and we used up a lot of our resources for maybe 15 protesters.”
“Something much more serious could have happened.” Davis continued, “And our highway patrol sits in here worrying about people protesting over here on a bridge.”
NBC Bay Area News reports that the arrested protesters have been released from San Francisco’s jail. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins will decide what charges to bring against the protesters. She is considering false imprisonment charges because drivers were trapped in their cars during the demonstration.
It’s unfair to everyone. Davis said, “I feel like they can’t just get a pat on the back.”
He also explained how he felt.
“I called my manager, and I said: ‘Hey there’s a demonstration.'” “I should be at work in an hour,” he said. “I was at the bridge from about 7 am to 1 pm.” “Everyone was very frustrated.”
“I have just buried my older brother,” Davis continued, “I’m trying to earn as much money right now as possible to cover his funeral expenses.” “You know, six hours’ worth of lost wages is a lot, it’s a full day of work.”
He said, “You know it’s such an inconvenience and so devastating.”
