A San Francisco judge will now have additional time to evaluate misdemeanor charges for the 18 defendants after their lawyers filed a last-minute motion.
Those charges include: unlawful assembly, failure to disperse, and obstructing police officers. They face penalties including up to three years of jail.
Jess McPeake, one of the defendants’ lawyers, says usually a charge of unlawful assembly is used with protesters, but:
"This is not a protest. This is a dance party," McPeake said. "But I think, more importantly, the district attorney here has decided to apply all three charges to all 18 people. And that's not how you do charges, they have to be individualized."
For the past five years, Stud Alley organizers have hosted the free party during Pride. This year, it was shut down by San Francisco Police officers in full riot gear.
The SFPD and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins say the defendants did not respond to dispersal orders.
Rachel Lederman, one of the defense lawyers, disputes that.
"These folks are being charged with disobeying a dispersal order that was never given," Lederman said.
A total of 20 people were arrested, and the incident happened a day after similar arrests took place at the Trans March.
Elizabeth Kyburg’s daughter was one of those partygoers at Stud Alley.
"She has a job for a year in Berlin, and she now had to notify the family and tell them she’s been arrested," Kyburg said. "And it’s heartbreaking to think she worked so hard, and then she comes out of college, and now she’s got a criminal record."
SFPD and the DA’s office did not respond to KALW’s request for comment in time for broadcast.
The arraignment has been postponed until next Thursday, September 3.
