San Francisco sued over alleged unlawful arrests at Dolores Hill Bomb skateboarding event
At least 113 people, many of them juveniles, were arrested when police broke up the unpermitted skateboard event.
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A class action civil rights lawsuit has been filed against the city of San Francisco and San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott for what happened this summer near Dolores Park. At least 113 people, many of them juveniles, were arrested when police broke up the unpermitted skateboard event where skateboarders will race down the hill near Dolores Park.
"I had guns pointed in my face simply for trying to walk home," said Ediberto Jimenez.
"A bunch of police officers came and surrounded us," said Lucy Rios, who was then arrested.
In past years, there have been major injuries and even a death during the Hill Bomb event.
VIDEO: SFPD's bodycam video shows moments before 100+ people arrested, cited at skateboarding event
"Protecting people from dying and choosing to dehumanize a group of young kids, that's not helping anyone," said Carmen Lopez, who was arrested.
"Yes, there have been problems in the past with this event, like my daughter said, that has nothing to do with corralling a bunch of youth and keeping them detained on the cold streets through the night," said Lopez's mom, Naomi.
"They all describe freezing, thirsty, and hungry, needing to pee. There were teenagers that had to pee in their pants because they were not provided bathrooms," said attorney Rachel Lederman.
San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott previously said that officers had bottles and firecrackers thrown at them, saying that at least three Muni vehicles and a school were tagged with graffiti.
Those involved with this lawsuit don't believe police should have been there in the first place, saying the city's parks and recreation department should have helped make it a sanctioned event.
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"In terms of the few kids that might of thrown things, the police had no reason to believe that any of the young people they actually arrested had done those things, that's why the arrests were civil rights violations," said Lederman.
The San Francisco District Attorney's office tells us one individual faces multiple explosives and fireworks charges. That person is in custody and faces over 11 years in prison if convicted. Five others have been charged with felony vandalism.
It does not appear though that any of those individuals were among the group arrested the night of the event, as charges against them were filed in August.
The city of San Francisco's city attorney says, "Once we are served with the lawsuit, we will review the complaint and respond in court."
Parents we spoke with also say that since no charges have been filed against their teens, they want this arrest off of their record.
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