Excerpt from NBC Bay Area. Read the full article here.
“Supporters of those arrested also gathered outside San Francisco’s Hall of Justice for a rally denouncing the misdemeanor charges filed by the District Attorney’s Office.
Each of the 18 defendants faces three misdemeanor counts: unlawful assembly, disobeying a dispersal order and resisting arrest.
Defense attorneys called the charges an overreach by the District Attorney’s Office and accused prosecutors of trying to intimidate the transgender community.
Rachel Lederman, an attorney representing the defendants, said she expects the charges to be defeated.
‘We fully expect to beat these charges, which are completely baseless, because people are charged with disobeying a dispersal order when police documents themselves reveal that no dispersal order was given,’ Lederman said.”