A federal court in San Francisco allowed the civil rights lawsuit challenging the San Francisco Police Department’s 2023 mass arrest to proceed as a class action in an order issued late Thursday afternoon. The class consists of approximately 113 people who were arrested on 17th Street on July 8, 2023, including 81 children age 12-17.
“The class certification decision is one step toward finally getting justice for these young people. SFPD engaged in an outrageous round-up and mass arrest of children and youth. They kettled them between police lines and arrested them unlawfully, without a reasonable basis to believe that they had committed crimes,” said Rachel Lederman, Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) senior counsel and lead counsel for the plaintiffs. “Then, the police held the children and youth outdoors and in vehicles for many hours as darkness fell and the night turned cold and windy. SFPD did not provide them access to a bathroom for up to 7 hours forcing desperate children to use a bucket in the street handed out by a neighbor. They did not give the children water or food. Parents were not notified until after midnight, if at all. The police conduct violated the arrestees’ constitutional rights as well as state and federal law and SFPD’s own policies.”
“We were just trying to go home,” said plaintiff J.T., age 13 at the time of her arrest. “My friend’s dad was waiting on the corner to pick us up, but when I tried to tell the police that, they would not let us leave, and an officer said, ‘we don’t want to hurt you.’ I felt threatened by that and scared.”
“My friends and I didn’t even know about the Dolores Hill Bomb and were just using the bike lane on 17th Street, when out of nowhere, police surrounded us,” said plaintiff L.R., age 15 at the time. “We tried to explain we were just on our way across town, but they made us wait on the street for hours. Once I realized that we were actually being arrested, I panicked about how this might affect my future.”
“As a class action, this lawsuit now allows everyone who was arrested in the 3500 block of 17th Street on July 8, 2023, to be represented,” explained Gabriela Lopez, co-counsel for the plaintiffs. “We are asking that each child or adult be compensated for the awful experience SFPD put them through, that their records be cleared, and for reforms so that this never happens again.”
Bobbie Stein, co-counsel for the plaintiffs, added, “Youth, especially youth of color, were targeted during this event as part of San Francisco’s ‘tough on crime’ posturing. Although police said they wanted to keep people safe, their poor decisions, ratified by Chief Scott, endangered these kids and resulted in their illegal arrests.”
The case is J.T., et al., v. City and County of San Francisco, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California Case No. 3:23-cv-06524 LJC.
The Court’s order also appoints the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, the Community Law Office and Bobbie Stein as counsel for the class.
If you, or your minor child, were arrested in the 3500 block of 17th Street (between Dolores and Guerrero Streets), San Francisco, on July 8, 2023, in the mass arrest that occurred at approximately 8:40 PM, and believe that you, or your minor child, are a member of the class, and wish to receive updates on the case as it continues, please send an email to DoloClassAction@justiceonline.org. Provide your name and your minor child’s name if applicable, your contact information including best email, phone and address; and the date of birth of the person arrested. If you are under 18, please also provide the contact information for a parent or legal guardian.
Please note that at this time there is not a resolution, settlement or award of damages in this case. By providing your information you are not automatically a confirmed member of the class, nor are you guaranteed to receive an award of damages. Providing your information will allow class counsel to communicate with you regarding the status of the case, including information at such future time that class members may become eligible for any award of damages, and information regarding necessary steps to be taken at that time.