Case Status
In December 2023, the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund and co-counsel filed a federal civil rights class lawsuit against the City and County of San Francisco and its police commanders, challenging the unlawful mass arrest and detention of 115 young people on July 8, 2023. The class consists of all those arrested that day on 17th Street in San Francisco’s Mission District, including 43 children aged 12–15 and 62 teens aged 16–19, who are disproportionately Black and Brown youth.
On October 30, 2025, the United States District Court certified the litigation as a class action in which five named class representatives are suing on behalf of all 115 youth arrested on 17th Street. The Court has appointed the PCJF and co-counsel Bobbie Stein and Gabriela Lopez as Class Counsel.
In June 2026, the Court heard arguments on the City and police commanders’ motion for summary judgment. The motion asked the judge to decide the case without trial. PCJF attorney Rachel Lederman argued that the case must go before a jury. The ACLU and a coalition of youth organizations filed amicus briefs in support of the plaintiffs.
Background
During the annual ‘Dolores Hill Bomb,’ community members gather to watch people skateboard down the Dolores Street hill between 21st and 18th Streets alongside Dolores Park. On July 8, 2023, members of San Francisco’s Police Department (SFPD) cracked down on the event, without ever reaching out to the skateboard community to discuss safety concerns. The police proceeded to herd and kettle youth into the 3500 block of 17th Street, at least 40 minutes and blocks away from where they had given dispersal orders. Thus, youth who had complied with dispersal orders or otherwise left the event were arrested along with youth who had arrived later and never heard any orders and others who were simply out in the Mission neighborhood on a summer evening.
The unlawful mass arrest took place at sunset, and the night turned dark, cold and windy while the police forced the youth to sit outdoors on the pavement for hours without any way of keeping warm, or access to bathrooms, food or water. The police did not notify parents that they had detained their children until after midnight when they were ready to release them. The last minors were released at 4 a.m., whereas the adults (primarily 18 and 19 year olds) were held at the jail until morning.
The case is set for jury trial to take place June 11- July 1, 2027.
Legal Information
Case name: J.T. et al v. City and County of San Francisco
Court: United States District Court for the Northern District of California
J.T. et al v. San Francisco – Federal Civil Rights Class Action Complaint 2023
J.T. et al v. San Francisco – Order Granting Class Certification
PCJF News
Federal Court Grants Class Certification in Dolores Hill Bomb Mass Arrest Case
Press Coverage
Mission Local – Dolores Park ‘hill bomb’ victims can sue as a group, judge rules
Mission Local – Federal judge OKs most claims in Dolores Park hill bomb lawsuit, setting up class action battle
Mission Local – Parents of Dolores Park hill bomb teens file civil rights claim
Mission Local – SF drops most Dolores hill bomb cases — but will investigate further
KQUED – ‘A Step Backward’: SF Police Commission Questions Mass Arrest at Skateboarding Event
Mission Local – Parents, livid over SFPD arrests of teens at Dolores hill bomb, vow lawsuits
KQUED – You’re Detained as a Spectator at an Event Like the Dolores ‘Hill Bomb.’ What Are Your Legal Rights?
KTVU – Community outrage over SFPD response to skateboarding event continues to boil over
Hero Photo Credit: Joe Rivano Barros/Mission Local