Since it opened in 1937, at least 2,100 people have jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge, according to the Bridge Rail Foundation.
Glen Park resident and CHP officer Jack Symons was assigned to the bridge beat from 1953 to 1956. During that time at least four people died by suicide from the bridge while Symons was on duty.
After the bridge opened a safety net for Bridge workers was in place, yet no protection was afforded the public.
Eighty-seven years would pass after the bridge opened until we have a mostly completed Golden Gate Bridge Suicide Deterrent System (“Safety net”). During those decades Bridge authorities dithered–because of the stigma of mental illness, aesthetic considerations, doubts about its effectiveness, and just plain “hubris and inertia.” (Bonnee Waldstein, Glen Park News)
Read Evelyn Rose’s full story here, originally published on January 26 in the Glen Park Neighborhoods History Project newsletter.