San Mateo Bridge Reopens After Stanford Students Abandon Cars In Traffic For MLK Day Protest

[Newsjock]

Source: CBS San Francisco

Over 100 Stanford students and community members demonstrating against police brutality temporarily shut down the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge Monday afternoon.

Drivers were seen turning around at the toll plaza and going the wrong way on the bridge as CHP tried to find tow trucks to take away abandoned cars left on the bridge by protesters. The bridge was reopened shortly before 5:30 p.m.

According to Silicon Shut Down’s Twitter feed, a handful of students were arrested: "We are 63 Stanford students currently arrested on the San Mateo Bridge because we #ShutItDown. we are fine. Singing and chanting #ReclaimMLK"

... Earlier, a large crowd was able to stop BART service at the Coliseum BART station. The station reopened at about 4:30 p.m.



Read more: http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/01/19/san-mateo-bridge-reopens-after-stanford-students-abandon-cars-in-traffic-for-mlk-day-protest/

[Travis_0004]

1. A few snowplows to push the cars over the edge, and they could reopen the bridge in minutes.

[msongs]

2. hey spoiled elitists deserve the right to protest too lol nt

[olddad56]

4. many they should be protesting the investment firms that their parents use.

[Xithras]

10. To be fair, there are a LOT of lower income people at Stanford.

Stanford offers free tuition to students from families making less than $100k, and a full ride (free tuition, housing, and everything else) to students from families making less than $60k.

Their admissions officers aren't allowed to see the financial data for the student applicants, so many poorer students can (and do) get accepted if they meet the rest of their admissions requirements.

It's actually cheaper for an academically exceptional student from a poor family to attend Stanford than it is for them to attend U.C. Berkeley. As a Cal alumni, that's a painful thing to admit.

[CreekDog]

7. what would you prefer they do that's less selfish?

you seem to know lots about how they can be less selfish, you seem to think protesting on behalf of minority rights is a selfish thing to do for them.

then what is a less selfish thing to do?

[840high]

3. Good idea.

[CreekDog]

8. No, NOT a good idea. We don't dump cars in the bay

we don't dump the oil, the metal, the plastic, the litter and all that stuff and we certainly don't pay to have our government do it.

NO NOT a good idea.

your opinion on this topic will always be discounted now because of the incredibly uninformed and unthinking thing you have just posted.

[CreekDog]

6. we don't throw cars in the bay

i don't understand how someone can know so little about where to dump a car (hint: not in the largest estuary on the West Coast, for example).

[CreekDog]

9. There aren't a few snowplows within a few minutes of the San Mateo Bridge

bad as your idea is, it would take hours for a few snowplows to get there.

perhaps you only posted this to derail the discussion, because it obviously wasn't a thoughtful post.

[snooper2]

12. I bet there is a D9 or D10 within a couple miles

[CreekDog]

13. he said snowplow

if you like his idea, you can get on board and support throwing cars into the bay via another mechanism.

is that what you want to do?

[snooper2]

18. Nah that is a waste throwing them in the bay..

now, if somebody parked a couple barges maybe we could use an excavator and come up with over-sized game of beer pong?

[cpwm17]

5. Selfish #^*%@#s n/t

[eissa]

11. Stupid

Nothing like working all day, dreading the 2 hour commute home, only to be stuck on a bridge high up over water (in earthquake zone) by a bunch of selfish assholes trying to make a point that most people in that area already agree with.

[CreekDog]

14. what was the selfish act that will result in them having more money or goods

than they would have had, had they not protested?

you said they're selfish, curious how they will profit from this and be ahead of where they were prior to the protest.

[eissa]

16. Selfish does not necesarily translate to material gain

One can be selfish for a variety of rewards -- personal recognition, doing something that makes you personally feel good/accomplished/vindicated.

The overwhelming response to these disruptive acts -- targeting transportation that mainly the working stiffs rely on -- has been counter-productive, to say the least. I support the message; the tactic is in drastic need of change.

[CreekDog]

20. So was MLK selfish for marches that disrupted traffic and or caused other inconveniences?

I don't think so, but your logic is flawed and this is why.

[Blue_Tires]

15. Very fascinating to see the people more outraged about the protest

than racial profiling, brutality, etc...

[eissa]

17. Can one be outraged by both? eom

[Blue_Tires]

19. Can one keep in proper perspective on which is the graver offense?

[eissa]

21. If you truly believe that targeting people

who have nothing to do with your cause and can do little to bring about the change you seek, then by all means, continue down this pointless path. The tactics employed by the protestors are counter-productive. Invoking MLK does not strengthen your argument. Why are we talking about income inequality today? Why has that suddenly become not only a topic that most Americans can (surprisingly) agree on, but is now considered an important issue by both the right and the left? The Occupy Movement sparked that conversation. Not by pissing off working people trying to get home from work, or preventing people from getting to the airport, but by disrupting Wall Street. It got people talking, and though change is not occurring at the pace many of us would like, the minimum wage is going up state by state, and the discussion is on-going. But hey, I'm sure forcing people to sit in their cars for hours can also gain you sympathizers.