News and Press Releases

San Francisco– On election day, Tuesday March 3, federal immigration agents arrested a San Francisco resident in front of the courthouse steps of 850 Bryant Street as he was entering criminal court for a hearing. ICE agents acted without a judicial warrant and therefore in violation of state law. The San Francisco Public Defender and the District Attorney have condemned...

“I am extremely disturbed to learn of Sheriff Miyamoto’s plans to move up to 100 people currently held in the San Francisco County Jail to Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County. Nearly 50 people have died in Santa Rita Jail in the last 5 years, and the jail has been deemed by East Bay Express as “The most dangerous place...

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – On February 27, 2020, in front of a crowd of over 300 people at Brava Theater, San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju took his oath of office and pledged his service to the community as part of the annual Black History Month Celebration of the Public Defender’s Office. His oath was administrated by Gwen Woods, mother...

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – On February 25, 2020, a jury acquitted a former Lyft driver, Vincent Perrault, 46, of assault charges related to an incident in which he acted in self-defense when confronted in the street by intoxicated passengers whom he asked to exit his car around 2:00am on December 27, 2016, after they were being disruptive and told him...

How long must S.F. wait to root out police corruption? By Mano Raju, Public Defender of San Francisco Open Forum – SF Chronicle – February 6, 2020 Over a year ago, California finally acknowledged the public’s right to know about police corruption in our communities. Specifically, SB 1421 made public all records of police dishonesty, shootings, sexual assault, and use-of-force...