Update: At 10:43 a.m., traffic began to move.
A dozen or so demonstrators calling for a cease-fire in Gaza closed westbound traffic on the Bay Bridge earlier this morning.
At 9:18 a.m., the protesters had been arrested, but westbound traffic was still stalled.
With President Joseph Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in town for the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference, there have been ongoing protests focused on the war in Gaza, and smaller protests aimed at Xi Jinping.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency warns commuters to expect delays or find another route.
You can check here for realtime traffic and transit updates.
We are updating this story as we get more information.
Founder/Executive Editor. I’ve been a Mission resident since 1998 and a professor emeritus at Berkeley’s J-school since 2019 when I retired. I got my start in newspapers at the Albuquerque Tribune in the city where I was born and raised. Like many local news outlets, The Tribune no longer exists. I left daily newspapers after working at The New York Times for the business, foreign and city desks. Lucky for all of us, it is still there.
As an old friend once pointed out, local has long been in my bones. My Master’s Project at Columbia, later published in New York Magazine, was on New York City’s experiment in community boards.
Right now I'm trying to figure out how you make that long-held interest in local news sustainable. The answer continues to elude me.
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It is Hamas who teed this off, ball in their court. Release the hostages, surrender and the fighting stops overnight.
I do not believe that is true though.
The idea that Israel would agree to a cease fire before the 200 hostages are released is nonsense. The idea that Hamas would abide by a cease fire is nonsense.
Yes, you’re right. So Israel should continue violently destroying the entire Gaza strip and brutally killing and maiming thousands upon thousands of innocent civilians, while making those who manage to survive suffer immeasurably without water, food, fuel or electricity. There’s clearly no other way forward.
How are they supposed to hand over the hostages when they’re being carpet bombed? Also Hamas said they would hand over the hostages if Israel released the Palestenian hostages they’ve had detained since before 10/7 and Netanyahu literally said no. Israel doesn’t care about the hostages.
Carpet bombed? Hardly. I’m not real proud of being a human now-a-days, but if you knew just a smidgen about ordinance, you would be amazed as me, at the low collateral damage. One life, was to many! Israel has shown great restraint, to the detriment to it’s own soldiers, to appease world opinion. Such is the nature of war. @SavetheChildrenAlltheChildren
Well, the Bay Bridge is clear now and there is no cease fire in Gaza.
This extends the decades-long streak of Bay Area protests about national or international issues that accomplish nothing other than damaging local businesses.
Congratulations, wealthy Gaza fans! If you really wanted to accomplish something you could have sold that car you abandoned on the bridge and flown to the Middle East and volunteered. Instead you had a nice little bridge party with your friends at the expense of the Bay Area.
The “harms business” is a catch-all rebuttal for any distruption. The logic of it is that there’s nothing more important than making money, so don’t interrupt anyone’s lunch, shopping trip, or commute. The past 20 years have seen incredible mass protests throughout the world that at best leave things exactly the way they are. People aren’t going to be quiet just because there a Nieman Marcus or a mom and pop shop, or an office that needs some seats warmed. I’m actually suprised more freeways don’t get shut down more often. When a group of people agree to something they get to take action, happened in the 1770s.
Two far-right undemocratic regimes fighting it out, and the people killed in the middle. Netanyahu is intentionally creating generations of hatred: He must go, just as Hamas must go. APEC should take note: Fascist regimes may be good for business in the short term, but in the end, everyone kills each other.
I was delayed yesterday by the motorcade for Biden and Xi and am far more bothered by that than people who are trying to gain attention to the genocide that is taking place with American weapons.
Responding to one war crime with another never brings peace. John Oliver did a great well-balanced summary of the current situation. Well worth a few minutes to watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ9PKQbkJv8
I’m so proud of these protesters. The younger generation is fighting for whats right. People who are more upset about being mildly inconvenienced when thousands of children have been blown to bits need to do some introspection. This didn’t start on 10/7. Israel has conducted several attacks on Gaza throughout the years that have murdered many more civilians than those who were lost on 10/7. Netanyahu is a racist genocidal maniac, and those who refuse to see that are on the wrong side of history and future generations will look poorly upon you.
Ambulances and fire trucks stuck in traffic are not a “mild inconvenience.” I am ashamed that people think putting other innocent people’s lives at risk is an acceptable way to protest. It is not justified at all by what is happening elsewhere. This kind of thinking only encourages more harm and violence.
On a daily basis, how many ambulances and fire trucks cross the bridge while responding to incidents?
bravo! protest is working around the world to change the stances of leaders who can actually influence the course of this genocidal aggression by Israel and I applaud the brave locals putting their bodies on the line to do the right thing
I hope these economic terrorists get real jail time. Six months at least.
TV is reporting some of these people abandoned their cars on the bridge and threw the keys into the bay. These are wealthy, spoiled people who don’t need to work, and are happy to stop people who must work for a living from getting to their jobs. A few months in a jail cell with other criminals will be good for them. They can have in-depth conversations with their cellies about international peace and justice. Their cellies will probably speak for the rest of us.
Since when does fighting against genocide make you spoiled? I would argue people being mad that they’re inconvenienced when children are being murdered are the spoiled ones.
What the protesters fought was commuters, not genocide.
You want to fight genocide? Go over to Gaza and fight genocide.
Spoiled wealthy people who can afford to give up their cars are preventing people who have to work for a living from doing so.
Yes, because punishing the working class of the Bay Area is such a great way to protest something the US isn’t even involved in and is 7,500 miles away.
The US is directly involved in this . And has been giving billions to Israel for decades . Palestinian people have had their land stolen and occupied , settled on funded by Israel for years . Palestinians can’t move freely in their own country. I stand in solidarity for Palestine and condemn the international community for not stopping Israel’s genocide . If all you care about is the economy and the money lost because the bridge was shut down for a few hours , I hope you realize many lives have been lost and your inconvenience is petty.
I admire the bravery of these protesters.
The mainstream media tries to whitewash Israel’s war crimes by adhering to the discredited Netanyahu’s talking points. US politicians ignore their constituents’ shock and disdain.
In a modern world, war should be a thing of the past. Dialog and compromise should be the order of the day. Our leaders reject this but circumvent it and tell us our only alternative is the fascist Trump who would be a dictator. Democrats and Republicans are both in the grip of pleasing Wall Street.
I am convinced that the US war machine, as The Berkeley professor Peter Dale Scott describes it, runs our government today. Not us: we who are opposed to all imperialist war.
I am a socialist. Not the fake type.
I would recommend this important and inspiring article by professor Tom Mackaman at the World Socialist Web Site:
The censure of Rashida Tlaid:
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/11/16/pkqx-n16.html
The Likud Party and Hamas are both hellbent on pursuing policies of ethnic extermination, and that’s deeply tragic. I would also say that it’s tragically stupid to believe blocking traffic on the Bay Bridge will do a damn thing to influence the actions of either organization. The levels of delusion and egotism that these protesters must suffer from is truly staggering. This is a great example of why there is no leftist movement in the US with any serious representation or power of any sort, even in liberal enclaves like the Bay Area. These fools aren’t taking “direct action” on anything more than working people’s commutes.
God, I love my hometown and its ✊🏿 spirit.
I was with these same folks at all their recent protest (Market & Powell, UN Plaza, etc.), and I love to see ’em fightin’ the good fight. 🇵🇸
I am all for protesting, but blocking freeway traffic and roads is NEVER ok. Preventing emergency vehicles risks peoples lives! What if it was your mom, uncle, cousin, grandma stuck in an ambulance and died because a bunch of jackasses just wanting the world’s attention prevented them from getting through? Do more innocent deaths justify the cause? At least 1 fire truck was stuck on the bridge. I hope they get prison time. I know I will be voting to increase the penalties for blocking roads come election time.
There was a fire truck on the bridge? I don’t see that in the article. What were they responding to?
Really? If you had something important to get done today, would it be OK if you were prevented from doing so because of a pro-Israel protest?
Yep. Because it’s nothing compared to a literal genocide.
You know nothing about the situation in Israel and Gaza, yet you keep spewing out biased garbage.
1- The current war is not a frickin’ genocide! On the eve of the creation of Israel in 1948 (UN backed btw) there were about 100,000 Arabs living in Gaza. Today there are 2.2 mil. On the eve of WW2 there were 9.5 mil Jews in Europe. At the end of the war there were 3 mil. THAT’S A GENOCIDE.
2. Israel fully withdrew from Gaza in 2005. Gazans were free and there were zero blockades then. Hamas took over in 2006, and their stated mission was and still is to (literally) destroy Israel and kill all Jews. They took over $1 billion from Qatar and build tunnels and war infrastructure under hospitals, schools, UN buildings, mosques, etc. They have launched over 30,000 missiles at Israel since. So why do you attribute zero responsibility to hamas for the current war in Gaza? Why is this Israel’s fault?
3. Jews are the indigenous people in these lands, way before Mohammad and Islam was even created in the 7th century. So Jews have legitimate claims to the land, which you’re quick to ignore. Funny how most of you biased against Israel would be quick to support Native American rights, but when it comes to the Jews reclaiming their homeland…nil.
Look I know it’s trendy and in vogue to be all pro Palestine, but given the outright lack of knowledge, bias and blatant disregard for Israel’s right to exist (per my points above), don’t be surprised when you’re accused of charting into antisemitic waters.
Yes because whatever I had planned is insignificant compared to genocide.
no but because I understand that the lives of tens of thousands of civilians are more important than my appointments I would absolutely be okay with being slowed down by this
Oh I see, you are OK with it because it is your side and you are right. The other side is wrong and therefore you wouldn’t tolerate it. In other words, your side has special rights in our democracy — sorry, it doesn’t work that way.
Driving is not a right, it is an expensive convenience that some people have become overly dependent on willingly – not to mention how destructive car dependence is to our communities and the environment.
People’s nonviolent protest and gathering to have their voice heard, is a right. We apologize for your inconvenience while others exorcise their rights for a just cause.
Finally, Hamas is not Gaza or Palestine. Please do not conflate the association to justify genocide and collective punishment of innocents.
It is NOT nonviolent, and they do not have the right to break the law.
Whether or not a genocide is happening doesn’t make it right.
If this is acceptable, what is to stop others–people whos views differ from yours– from doing the same thing, for causes you don’t believe in?
We can hope that all of the protesters will be arrested, prosecuted and severely sentenced. This form of protest is not acceptable in a democracy. For too long protesters have confused the idea of “civil disobedience” with just unlawful political violence. You can’t complain about Jan 6th and support activity like this. Either political activity needs to follow the law (yes) or there will be anarchy and political violence from both sides. You can’t claim that only your side has the right to violate the law.
And, FWWI, this is just selfish and narcissistic move — inconveniencing thousands of people because you think your views are just soooo important. It would be interesting to see how these protesters would react if they couldn’t get on with their lives because of a pro-Israeli protest. I doubt they would be happy.
You are comparing non violent efforts to stop the genocide in Gaza By blocking the bridge to an extremely violent effort to take over the US government in support of Fascist Trump?
Seriously? This is about saving LIVES Of innocent civilians who have nothing to do with Hamas, and if it gets attention from the President, who’s giving away millions of dollars to Israel in MY name ( A jewish american taxpayer), then it’s a good thing.! CEASEFIRE NOW!
I just saying that you can either support political violence (and expect it from all sides) or you can demand that everyone obey the laws. Claiming that your political position is so important that it exempts your side (but not the other side) from obeying the law is absurd.
BTW, you really lose credibility when you talk about “genocide” in Gaza. Even if one disagrees with Israel’s military actions there, they do not constitute genocide by any definition. On the other hand, aligning yourself with Hamas (by supporting a ceasefire), you are supporting an organization that explicitly states that it seeks to destroy Israel and kill Jews (in other words genocide).
Being mad that you’re inconvenienced when there’s a literal genocide happening is what screams narcissism, not people fighting for whats right.
So true!
That literally doesn’t make it right. If a bunch of right wingers decide to shut down the freeways because they want the government to deport all undocumented people, does that make it ok? But they’re fighting for what they think is right! Or is it only acceptable for causes you believe in?
Your thinking is extremely naive to the point of being dangerously dumb. I am as liberal as they come, and I vehemently oppose of these harmful tactics. It should be stopped, the organizers thrown in prison and should never allowed to happen again. Full stop.
If one was actually concerned with “literal genocide” one would not be protesting in favor of Hamas. What is happening in Gaza right now is not genocide by any definition.
Our country was founded upon civil disobedience of King George. The right to free speech (and protest) is enshrined in our Constitution. The protest of unfair tax policy that resulted in hundreds of thousands of pounds of tea being tossed into Boston Harbor is something we celebrate. These protestors are passionate
They have the right to protest, but they don’t have the right to break the law and put thousands of peoples’ lives at risk by blocking traffic.
Protesting Gaza is ridiculous. They started it by bombing Israel. Let the hostages free that will stop the attack on Gaza.
Hamas didn’t start this. This is like saying retaliation from native tribes against violent colonizers means they deserved to be wiped out.
As an Israeli I would personally like to thank these enlightened protesters who did such a magnificent job of calling negative attention to their “cause.”
Toda raba!