In early June and July, three Stanford students were found guilty of willfully and maliciously obstructing a person’s free movement in a public place. The three were part of 68 arrested after blocking the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge as part of a “Black Lives Matter” protest.

On June 2, Paul Dwight Watkins II ’17 was the first to be found guilty for his participation in the protest. He received 45 hours of community service, was required to take a mandatory class on the first amendment and had to pay a $440 restitution to the California Highway Patrol. Maria Diaz-Gonzalez ’17 was the second defendant on trial, but her case was dismissed by the judge. According to prosecutors, this ruling was most likely due to the fact that Diaz-Gonzalez was in the background of the protest.

On June 8, Jennifer Telschow ’13 was the second to be convicted by the jury for the same crime as Watkins. She received a served two days in jail and was sentenced 45 hours of community service and the $440 fine, but no class.

On June 10, Clayton Evans ’15 was the third defendant to be convicted by the jury for the same crime as the previous two students. However, he received a sentence of 100 hours of community service as opposed to 45 hours. According to the prosecutors, the longer sentence was attributed to his attitude on the stand.

On July 2, Maxine Fonua ’15 was the fourth defendant to be convicted by the jury. On July 21, her attorney brought a motion to continue sentencing, and as a result, her sentencing hearing will be on August 19.

Forty-nine of the original 68 arrested pleaded no contest and will not go to trial. Each received a sentence of 30 hours of community service, a mandatory class on the first amendment and a $440 restitution to the California Highway Patrol. Their misdemeanor convictions will be reduced to infractions after completing the community service and the class.

According to the San Mateo District Attorney’s office, six more students have upcoming trial dates set in August and September.