SAN FRANCISCO—A Black Lives Matter protest that was planned for 5 p.m. on September 24 at the Bay Area Bridge, was expected to result in massive traffic delays both in and out of the city.
The protest for Thursday evening was planned in response to a Grand Jury decision that was passed in Kentucky on September 23, where one of the officers involved in Breonna Taylor’s death faced charges. Taylor was shot multiple times by officers after her boyfriend fired at them. He said he didn’t know who was entering the apartment and fired back in self-defense. Officers had a warrant to enter and said they acted in self-defense as well. The stated goal of Thursday’s protest on social media was “gridlock”.
The plans for the protest began circulating early on Thursday morning throughout social media. A tweet from one supporter read:
“BAY AREA! Come out and support the protest on the bridge! Our voices will be heard! Today 5:00 PM. Bay Bridge. Golden Gate Bridge. Dumbarton Bridge”.
Starting at 5:00 PM, motorists on the mentioned bridges attempted to block traffic to protest. Traffic on the Bay Bridge was slowed to the point where Muni public transport service was temporarily suspended, but “gridlock” did not occur. Traffic on the other bridges was also slowed.
