A federal judge ruled last Thursday that the 113 adults and children detained by San Francisco police during the controversial 2023 Dolores Park "hill bomb" can sue the city as a group. This decision marks a critical step toward a unified legal battle against the city for events that unfolded during an informal skateboarding competition, which has garnered negative attention due to previous accidents and conflicts with law enforcement.
Each of those arrested, including 81 minors, is now certified to join an existing lawsuit that four teenagers initially filed in December 2023. With class-action status granted, potential compensation could increase significantly in the event of a settlement or a jury-awarded judgment, as reported by Mission Local. Rachel Lederman, an attorney with the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund representing the plaintiffs, described the mass arrests as an "outrageous round-up" and stated, "They kettled them between police lines and arrested them unlawfully, without a reasonable basis to believe that they had committed crimes," in a statement obtained by Mission Local.
The legal action stems from an incident that occurred on July 8, 2023, when the San Francisco Police Department made a series of arrests following events at Dolores Park, which they characterized as "dangerous and unlawful behavior." The city attorney's spokesperson, Jen Kwart, argued that "SFPD exercised appropriate crowd control at the 2023 Hill Bomb in order to protect public safety," a defense reported by the Mission Local.
Parents of the arrested claimed that many children were simply passing by and were caught in the dragnet without a proper assessment of their involvement. Reports from the lawsuit claim that the youngsters were held for hours in cold conditions, with some citing that boys resorted to urinating in a bucket provided by a neighbor, as detailed by the San Francisco Chronicle. In response to the criticism and legal action, the subsequent 2024 Hill bomb was markedly different, with police taking preemptive measures to ensure a more controlled environment.
As the case proceeds, the plaintiffs seek justice for what their counsel believes are violations of local, state, and federal laws. As the lawsuit progresses, it has the potential to significantly impact the city's finances, as any monetary judgment awarded would be sourced from the city's general fund. This, after the city had already expended $143,000 in police overtime during the eventful night in question.
.JPG){kind=link}