Supervisor Jackie Fielder has sent a second letter of inquiry to the San Francisco Police Department, seeking more information on the deployment of officers in riot gear to arrest several individuals at Trans March and Stud Alley on June 26 and 27.

Arrests and Response

Twenty-six people were arrested over Pride weekend, with six at Trans March on charges of felony vandalism and 20 at the Stud Alley party on charges of unlawful assembly and resisting arrest. The arrests have raised questions about the size and scale of the SFPD’s response.

Chief of Police Derrick Lew responded to Fielder’s initial letter, stating that the SFPD’s behavior at Trans March was in response to an effort to arrest several people who had been using Super Soaker-style water guns filled with paint to spray-paint buildings and private security cameras.

Lew wrote that a Department drone helped track two vandalism suspects to the area of Turk and Taylor Streets, capturing footage of them placing the water guns into a paper bag and discarding the bag on the sidewalk. When officers moved to detain the suspects, they were blocked by a crowd of roughly 300 people who linked arms, chanted for the suspects’ release, and threw glass bottles.

Community Reaction

The arrests have sparked protests, petitions, and community meetings, with many questioning the SFPD’s deployment of officers over Pride Weekend. A letter with demands for change circulated by the organizers of the Trans March received over 1,500 signatures, which were presented to the mayor’s office on Monday.

At a police commission meeting on July 8, participants asked what happened and why officers were pointing rifles at a peaceful gathering. Many attendees expressed concerns about the safety of the community and the impact of the SFPD’s response on the city’s LGBTQ+ community.

Original reporting: Mission Local — read the source article.