The defendants could face over 5 years in prison for the misdemeanors they are already convicted of. The charges in question are unlawful assembly, obstruction of a thoroughfare, and false imprisonment.
But they narrowly missed the most severe charge — felony conspiracy. Conspiracy basically means planning an unlawful act.
The jury was deadlocked, with ten deciding guilty and two not guilty. Without a unanimous decision, The San Francisco District Attorney’s office has to decide if it wants to retry the charge.
The DA’s office did not respond to KALW’s request for comment in time for broadcast.
The Golden Gate Bridge has been the site of high profile demonstrations for decades, but the 2024 demonstration is the first protest there to see felony charges.
Tori Porell is an attorney with PalLegal. She says conspiracy is becoming a common charge leveled against social justice organizations.
"Organizing inherently is built on associations and people working together to plan actions," says Porell. "By trying to criminalize those associations, networks, and that type of planning, the charge is essentially criminalizing activism."
Jordan Harger is one of the original 26 non-felony defendants. Even though they’ve settled, they’re still supporting the seven who are being retried.
"We're organizing meals to make sure everybody could get fed, making sure that people had help with pets, missing work, all of the things that come along with being forced into a seven-week-long criminal trial," says Harger.
The sentencing will be this Friday at 1:30pm in San Francisco Superior Court. Regardless of the outcome, the defense said it will motion to appeal the misdemeanors.