Disir
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- Sep 30, 2011
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To Black Lives Matter demonstrators seeking to bring attention to police shootings and rapid gentrification, the Bay Bridge was an alluring place to choreograph an act of civil disobedience: By blocking the five San Francisco-bound lanes, they halted traffic with a spectacle that grabbed headlines and forced TV stations to cut live to the scene.
But on Tuesday, a day after the guerrilla tactic, it was clear that an event that prompted swift arrests had heavy reverberations, with big risks for both the demonstrators and the authorities.
The 25 activists, who were later cited and released, faced the possibility of serious charges and the wrath of many motorists who were stuck in the forced gridlock. Meanwhile, authorities were again challenged to deal with protesters targeting freeways or major transit systems, just as the Bay Area readies for the traffic crush and publicity of the Super Bowl and its attendant festivities.
“Blocking a freeway or a bridge is way more disruptive than blocking an intersection,” said Mia Birdsong, a spokeswoman for protest coordinator Black.Seed, explaining why the group “took” the Bay Bridge. She did interviews and made radio appearances on Tuesday, while saying that garnering such a limelight was the whole point.
Rumors of the blockade
Big risks for protesters, police after Bay Bridge blockade
This is ridiculous. It's called a day late and a dollar short for gentrification. After that it was all about the interviews and radio appearances.
But on Tuesday, a day after the guerrilla tactic, it was clear that an event that prompted swift arrests had heavy reverberations, with big risks for both the demonstrators and the authorities.
The 25 activists, who were later cited and released, faced the possibility of serious charges and the wrath of many motorists who were stuck in the forced gridlock. Meanwhile, authorities were again challenged to deal with protesters targeting freeways or major transit systems, just as the Bay Area readies for the traffic crush and publicity of the Super Bowl and its attendant festivities.
“Blocking a freeway or a bridge is way more disruptive than blocking an intersection,” said Mia Birdsong, a spokeswoman for protest coordinator Black.Seed, explaining why the group “took” the Bay Bridge. She did interviews and made radio appearances on Tuesday, while saying that garnering such a limelight was the whole point.
Rumors of the blockade
Big risks for protesters, police after Bay Bridge blockade
This is ridiculous. It's called a day late and a dollar short for gentrification. After that it was all about the interviews and radio appearances.
