They protested on the Golden Gate Bridge. Then California cops issued an odd citation – By Sam Moore (SFGATE) / Aug 29, 2022
Tim Huey knew he could, and likely would, get arrested. But he said he never could’ve anticipated what ended up happening to him on Sept. 30, 2021, in San Francisco.
On that date, Huey, joined by members of two advocacy groups — Bay Area Coalition for Economic Justice and Citizenship for All, and the Movement for Citizenship for All — led a demonstration on the Golden Gate Bridge. Huey and dozens of others blocked traffic with their cars. Some stayed in their vehicles; others stepped out and unfurled banners calling for citizenship for undocumented immigrants in the United States. The protest was scheduled to take 20 minutes, representing “20 years of broken promises” by lawmakers, the Washington Post reported at the time. Instead, it lasted an hour, and there are conflicting retellings about why — the protesters said the demonstration dragged on because they were delayed by California Highway Patrol, but the CHP told the Post that people wouldn’t leave. Huey said he and four others were eventually instructed by the CHP to drive to the Golden Gate Bridge View Point, where they were detained and arrested. The DA’s office ultimately declined to file charges.
But that’s not where the story ends. Huey told SFGATE that the CHP also issued a notice to the DMV, which suspended the driver’s licenses of the five people who were arrested. Notably, the notice issued by the CHP cited Vehicle Code 21061, which is supposed to be used in cases of physical or mental impairment – the implication being that CHP had deemed the protesters incapable of driving a car.
