Transgender activists are demanding that charges be dropped against five individuals arrested during San Francisco's recent Trans March, citing alleged police brutality and calling for a shift in city safety priorities. The Transgender District's co-executive director, Breonna McCree, and Trans March co-director, Niko Storment, made these demands following a Monday meeting with Mayor Daniel Lurie's office.
The arrests occurred in June during the Trans March, with the San Francisco Police Department reporting allegations of vandalism, obstruction of law enforcement, and battery on an officer. Police stated that demonstrators vandalized property and assaulted individuals with paint, and that officers attempting to make arrests were surrounded by marchers, hindering their movement. Two officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
March participants, however, described the police response as excessive, claiming officers threw individuals to the ground, used pepper spray, and pointed firearms at them. McCree stated that transgender people were "brutalized, they were scared; they were traumatized" during the events. Storment urged the city to "invest in community safety instead of expanding policing" and suggested replacing officers with civilian traffic management.
The Mayor's Office has indicated a willingness to engage, stating it invited the Transgender District to City Hall to "initiate a series of conversations that will take us towards safety and visibility for our transgender community in San Francisco." Storment noted that while the mayor's office heard their concerns, "nothing has been promised yet," emphasizing the ongoing need for advocacy.
The Trans March organization released a statement asserting that their group is being wrongly portrayed as aggressors while the broader context of anti-trans hostility and discrimination is being ignored. They called on San Francisco to take steps to address this discrimination.
Separately, California State Senator Scott Wiener reported being harassed and chased away from the march due to his stance on Israel and Gaza. Wiener described the interactions as "physically and verbally aggressive," citing antisemitic remarks made by participants. Mayor Lurie previously condemned these actions as "targeted, hateful, and antisemitic."
The San Francisco Police Department reiterated its respect for First Amendment rights and its support for the LGBT+ community, while also stating that criminal activity will not be tolerated.