Nearly 200 protestors swarmed the Golden Gate Bridge on Thursday in a protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates that lasted for hours.
Listen to the latest episode of "Bay Current" below.
But what are they really trying to accomplish?
Many categories of people and political affiliations were represented at the protest, many of whom spoke with KCBS Radio's "Bay Current" on what "freedom" means to them.
"This is America, and we should have the right to choose what kind of medical treatment we want," Babe Prieto of Pittsburg said. "No one should have the right to force anything upon us, especially something that hasn't been studied thoroughly."
Oakland native and Stanford alum, Veer, held a pro-choice sign while walking through the protest. "I started questioning it," Veer said. "A lot of what we were being told by the government and the media, it was lie after lie after lie. They've changed the goalposts on masks. It's changed so many times. I have many questions with the vaccine trials as well."
There is no evidence that any of the country's approved COVID-19 vaccines or boosters from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are unsafe.
Thursday's demonstration was part of the national organization called Nationwide Walkout.
The Bay Area's COVID-19 vaccine mandates are some of the strictest in the country – with very high compliance rates among public employees across every county. In San Francisco, proof of vaccination is required at most restaurants, bars, gyms, museums and theatres.
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