Eighteen of the 20 people who were arrested during an annual, unauthorized block party during Pride weekend were set to appear in court on misdemeanor charges Thursday.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced Wednesday that 18 people who were arrested during the annual Stud Alley gathering over Pride weekend have been charged with misdemeanor unlawful assembly, failure to disperse, and resisting, obstructing, or delaying a police officer, as the Chronicle reports. The defendants were scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning at the Hall of Justice.
As SFist reported last month, the arrests stem from an unauthorized late-night block party in SoMa that drew a large crowd and a DJ setup. SFPD officers responded around 11 pm on June 27, when they arrested two people before eventually bringing in officers in riot gear after police said other attendees refused repeated orders to leave once the music stopped.
Following the initial dispersal, police said that roughly 200 people regrouped several blocks away on Washburn Street when officers arrested 18 additional people on allegations of unlawful assembly and obstructing or delaying police.
Videos shared online showed officers in tactical gear advancing through the crowd as they cleared the alley. According to KQED, the response was a big contrast to previous years when police simply stood by and monitored without shutting it down or arresting anyone.
The charges come amid criticism of SFPD's handling of Pride weekend events, including arrests made following the Trans March the previous night, as previously reported. Supervisor Jackie Fielder has since submitted two letters of inquiry to Mayor Daniel Lurie and law enforcement officials after advocates accused police of using unnecessarily aggressive tactics.
As the Chronicle notes, the crackdown also echoes the city's response to other unsanctioned street gatherings, including the annual Dolores Hill Bomb, which has not returned since SFPD shut it down in 2023.
Previously: Late Night ‘Stud Alley’ Block Party in SoMa Draws 300 Pride Revelers, 20 Arrested
Image: Screenshot from video; Jersey Noah/Instagram
