For nearly four hours on November 16th, the Bay Bridge was closed down by pro-Palestine protesters in the wake of the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum being hosted in San Francisco. APEC is a global economic forum where some of the most powerful world leaders meet to discuss trade negotiations along with future initiatives within the Asian Pacific region, with global warming being a major focal point globally, and American-Chinese relations being a major domestic issue.

With so many powerful people around the world congregating here, including President Biden and Xi Jinping, it was inevitable that this event would draw protesters to the San Francisco area. The pro-Palestine protesters’ goal was to highlight the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict with Hamas, citing the death toll reaching over 11,000 along the Gaza Strip and the recent shelling within the region. One projectile suspected of being fired by Israel landed in the courtyard of the Al-Shifa Hospital—the largest medical complex within Gaza.

The Bay Bridge is one of the busiest bridges in the United States with a quarter of a million cars passing over it every day. Large parts of San Francisco have already been on lockdown due to APEC, so the Bay Bridge closure further exacerbated traffic-related issues within the city. A significant consequence of the bridge shutdown was service vehicles being unable to pass through, with ambulances in particular being a major concern. After hours of stalemate over 80 people were arrested and the bridge was eventually cleared. 

This is a developing story pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We’ll do our best to keep you up-to-date on the issue and its impact on our community.