San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Takes Down Flag Found at Justice Alito’s House and Called a ‘Jan. 6 Symbol’ by the NYT — After Flying It for the Last 60 Years
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The city of San Francisco has taken down an “Appeal to Heaven” flag that’s flown in its Civic Central Plaza for 60 years after the The New York Times described it as a “January 6 symbol” in a piece noting that it flew at a beach home owned by Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito and his wife.
The white flag, which depicts a pine tree in the center of it with the words “An Appeal to Heaven” emblazoned above it, was taken down by the city on Saturday, around three and a half years after the January 6 Capitol riot took place and just a few days after the Times piece castigating Alito for flying it came out.
It was first raised by the city in 1964 as part of a project to highlight various flags of historical significance to the country. The Appeal to Heaven flag was designed by George Washington’s private secretary and flown by the commanding general of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Pine trees were a symbol of resistance in revolutionary-era New England and the quote comes from John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government.
Nevertheless, the Times insinuated — and Alito’s left-wing critics insisted — that it constituted proof of the Justice’s allegiance to 2020 election conspiracy theories. “Justice Alito’s Beach House Displayed ‘Appeal to Heaven’ Flag, a Jan. 6 Symbol,” read one of the headlines affixed to the article.
In a letter rejecting calls for his recusal from January 6-related cases on Wednesday, Alito wrote that he “had no involvement in the decision to fly that flag” and noted that his “wife is fond of flying flags.”
He continued:
I was not familiar with the “Appeal to Heaven” flag when my wife flew it. She may have mentioned that it dates back to the American Revolution, and I assumed she was flying it to express a religious and patriotic message. I was not aware of any connection between this historic flag and the “Stop the Steal Movement,” and neither was my wife. She did not fly it to associate herself with that or any other group, and the use of an old historic flag by a new group does not necessarily drain that flag of all other meanings.
“A reasonable person who is not motivated by political or ideological considerations or a desire to affect the outcome of Supreme Court cases would conclude that this event does not meet the applicable standard for recusal,” added Alito. “I am therefore duty-bound to reject your recusal request.”
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Golden Gate Bridge fireworks will be a rare patriotic event
This year on July 4th, for the third time in history, an organized fireworks display will be held at San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge. This only happned in twice before in 1987 and 2012 for the bridge’s 50th and 75th annivesary. Expect crowds to be massive and public transportation, ride shares and simply walking is highly recommended.
SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco is preparing for its major July 4th fireworks display on Saturday night, an event expected to draw massive crowds as pyrotechnics are launched directly from the Golden Gate Bridge for only the third time in history.
Will crowds flood Marina?
What we don’t know:
To pull off the event, the Golden Gate Bridge, major roadways, and key parking lots at Marina Green and Crissy Field will be shut down.
Several neighborhood streets will also be blocked off, creating significant traffic hurdles. Officials are strongly advising spectators to utilize public transit due to severely limited parking.
Local residents in the Marina District have expressed concern over the impending chaos as crowds flood the neighborhood.
“I’m a little worried, yeah,” said nearby resident Michael Zoboski. “I think it’s gonna be definitely hectic. I don’t know where people are going to park, it seems like it’s taking up a large amount of the streets up here. I think it’s going to be a little crazy.”
To manage the influx, access to many surrounding neighborhoods will be strictly limited to local residents.
Checking IDs
What we know:
Law enforcement officers will be checking IDs and questioning drivers to verify residency. According to the district supervisor, there will be 10 police officers deployed per block in the Marina.
Road closures will stretch from Baker Street to Van Ness Avenue between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Portions of Fisherman’s Wharf are scheduled to shut down even earlier, starting at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon, with much of that neighborhood also restricted to local access. The Golden Gate Bridge itself will close to traffic starting at 9 p.m.
Additionally, roads will be closed in the Presidio and Richmond District. To encourage the use of public transportation, Muni is providing special shuttles to help transport spectators to the viewing areas.
The Source: Marina neighbors, Muni, San Francisco city website
San Francisco, CA
Crash on freeway in Millbrae leaves driver dead after reportedly overturning multiple times, CHP says
A driver died Thursday evening after reportedly overturning multiple times and being ejected from the vehicle in Millbrae, authorities said.
The California Highway Patrol said the crash happened around 7 p.m. on southbound Highway 101 at Millbrae Avenue.
Officers said they received a report that a vehicle had overturned multiple times and that an occupant was possibly ejected.
At the scene, officers found a man, who was determined to be the driver of a white Toyota Camry, lying in the road with major injuries. He was taken to a hospital where he later died, officers said.
It was determined that a second vehicle was involved in the crash and no one was injured in the second vehicle.
The CHP said the driver of the Camry was not wearing a seatbelt.
Three lanes of southbound Highway 101 were closed for an extended period.
A jury in San Francisco returned to a packed courtroom Thursday morning to tell a judge that it was deadlocked on two counts in the case against seven pro-Palestinian protesters who shut down traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge in 2024 to denounce U.S. aid to Israel in the Israel-Hamas war.
The jury indicated that it could likely reach a decision on one of the deadlocked counts, but the other it could not. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Teresa Caffese asked the jury to resume deliberations on one of the two deadlocked counts.
“Why don’t I send you back, and then we’ll go from there,” Caffese said.
Six of the protesters who chained themselves together on vehicles on the bridge and a protester who was designated to communicate with authorities are each facing eight to nine charges of felony conspiracy and false imprisonment.
The seven defendants sat in the courtroom with anticipation for a verdict, wearing keffiyehs around their necks. Dozens of their supporters packed the courtroom to the brim.
The jury reached unanimous decisions on the rest of the counts. It did not indicate which two counts it was deadlocked on.
Supporters of the seven protesters said that a verdict on the rest of the counts is expected to be read out sometime Thursday.
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