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Seven Golden Gate Protesters Convicted on Misdemeanors After Jury Hung on Felony

A mistrial on the felony conspiracy charge leaves the district attorney to decide whether to seek a retrial.

Overview

  • A San Francisco jury on Thursday, July 2, 2026, found seven defendants guilty of multiple misdemeanors for blocking the Golden Gate Bridge during an April 15, 2024 protest and deadlocked on a felony conspiracy charge that led the judge to declare a mistrial.
  • The convictions include false imprisonment, obstruction of a thoroughfare, and unlawful assembly and carry potential county jail exposure with sentencing set for August 2026.
  • Jurors reported repeated votes on the conspiracy count that typically split 10–2 in favor of guilty and an 11–1 split on a trespass count that leaned not guilty, which produced the partial mistrial.
  • Prosecutors argued the blockade endangered people on the bridge and disrupted traffic and services for hours while defense lawyers said the defendants acted from a moral imperative and lacked criminal intent.
  • The defendants were among about two dozen activists who stopped southbound lanes on the bridge in April 2024 and the mixed verdicts set up possible appeals, a sentencing fight in August, and a decision by the district attorney on whether to retry the hung felony charge.