Impact Justice and the SF Public Defender's Office announced the launch of the Homecoming Project in San Francisco. The Homecoming Project pairs people who are recently released from prison with hosts in the community who can offer a spare room in their home for six months.Read More
A San Francisco jury has acquitted 29-year-old Wyatt Johnson, who was arrested in a multi-agency law enforcement raid at Jefferson Park on Feb. 26. The jury unanimously acquitted him of all charges on Oct. 22.Read More
Deputy Public Defender Nuha Abusamra showed a judge SFPD body-worn camera footage, which revealed that SFPD officers had put hands on Leal before he even had a chance to respond to a verbal command. On Oct. 29, a San Francisco judge dismissed charges against Luis Leal, 29, who was arrested on June 8 in front of...Read More
The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, along with Californians for Safety and Justice—co-sponsors of AB 321, the Better Informed Decisions (BID) Act—are celebrating that California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 321 into law on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. This bill, authored by Assemblymember Nick Schultz (D-Burbank), ensures that judges in the state’s criminal courts have more...Read More
Today, an SF judge ruled that the teen accused of shooting and attempting to rob 49er Ricky Pearsall will remain in juvenile court instead of being transferred to adult court.Read More
Public Defenders tried to get the man into a Mental Health Diversion Program, but the District Attorney’s Office objected. Instead, the case went to trial where a jury fully acquitted him.Read More
Prosecutors tried to eke a felony plea out of an unhoused man who defended himself against a drunk security guard who challenged him to an alley fight. Instead, he demanded a trial. Public Defender Tal Klement pushed for a dismissal, and prosecutors finally saw that they had no case.Read More
San Francisco jury verdicts in three cases reveal a troubling pattern: vulnerable San Franciscans are being jailed and prosecuted based on weak or misunderstood evidence, rather than offered help. Juries saw through the flaws in the prosecutions and acquitted individuals who should never have been charged.Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 3, 2025 MEDIA CONTACT: PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org **PRESS RELEASE** S.F. Man Shot by Police with Projectiles from a ‘Modified Grenade Launcher’ Acquitted of Felony Charges SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco jury has acquitted Bryan Soper, 50, of felony charges that stemmed from SFPD officers’ rush to use force on him. On July...Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 11, 2025 MEDIA CONTACT: PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org **PRESS RELEASE** SF Public Defenders Win First Racial Justice Act Motion in San Francisco Judge grants motion finding implicit bias with police officer’s testimony SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco Public Defenders have won the first California Racial Justice Act (RJA) motion in San Francisco since the...Read More
