SF Police Accused of Using Excessive Force on Woman Who Walked Up on Protest Arrest

Several San Francisco police officers are accused of using excessive force when arresting a woman near a protest at the Israeli Consulate in July, according to a complaint filed by the public defender’s office.

The complaint filed Tuesday with the city’s Department of Police Accountability alleges that along with the unnecessary force, the officers violated policy by failing to de-escalate the situation and writing dishonest accounts of the arrest.

“San Francisco police in riot gear repeatedly shoved a woman, violently tackled her to the ground, and ridiculed her while she was in handcuffs,” the public defender’s office wrote in a press release announcing the complaint.

Amelia Jones, who said she was on her way to work when she came across the protest, was jailed for 36 hours and charged with four misdemeanors, including resisting arrest and battery on a peace officer. A public defender representing Jones challenged the charges, citing officers’ body-worn camera footage, and a judge dismissed them.

“I would like to hold police accountable for their misconduct, which has caused me a lot of anguish and pain,” Jones said in a statement. “Our police are trained to react with aggression and violence. That erodes trust.”

On July 24, about a dozen San Francisco Police Department officers were positioned near the Israeli Consulate in response to a protest happening outside, according to the complaint.

Body-worn camera footage shows officers pulling a person to the ground after suspecting that they had taken a bag of police equipment. Jones, walking with her bicycle toward the officers, shouts at them to stop and leave the person alone. The complaint estimates that Jones never got closer than 30 to 40 feet from that arrest.

Officer Jasmine Williams then approaches Jones and appears to push her with a baton as another officer shouts, “Back up!”

“I’m trying to get to my office building. It’s right there!” Jones said, pointing in the direction of the recent arrest where officers had formed a line.

“Go down Spring, go around,” an officer responds, pointing back in the direction she came from.

Another person is seen standing nearby and then walking in the direction Jones meant to go without being stopped by police.

Williams continues to press her baton against Jones and, along with another officer, obstructs her path.

Zac Dillon, a senior law and policy analyst with the public defender’s office, said this is where the officers failed to de-escalate.

“The core elements of de-escalation are time and distance,” Dillon said. “And both of those were taken away in this situation by getting closer and hemming her in closer to the building, essentially corralling her up against the wall.”

The footage shows Jones, appearing increasingly distressed, beginning to yell for help and waving her arm above her head. She tries to move left and right to get around the officers, but Williams stays directly in front of her with her arm pushing Jones. Williams repeatedly said, “Get out of my face.”

As Jones brings her arm down, it seems to land on Williams’ helmet, and the footage shows Williams’ head briefly getting pulled with it. The officers then pull Jones to the ground, pin her and handcuff her.

According to the public defender’s office’s complaint, officers described that moment in their reports as Jones violently yanking at Williams’ helmet, but the complaint said it was nothing more than incidental contact.

Williams also accused Jones of reaching for her neck, although that isn’t apparent in the footage.

Several officers failed to document the repeated force Williams used against Jones before that moment, according to the complaint.

“They were dressed for violence. They were dressed for confrontations. They were out there in their riot gear, and so I think they see threats where there aren’t necessarily threats … so they’re more inclined to escalate,” Dillon said.

Now that a complaint has been filed, the Department of Police Accountability will likely review the footage, conduct interviews and make a decision within about nine months to a year, according to Dillon.

That could mean deciding the police were either in the right or violated policy — in which case the department would recommend disciplinary action.

“If they do find a policy violation, then it would be referred to either the chief for meting out discipline if it’s under a certain amount of 10 days suspension, which I imagine it would be in this case,” Dillon said. “In more serious cases, it’s referred directly to the Police Commission, who will then have a sort of mini-trial.”

In a statement, the San Francisco Police Department said it is unable to talk about open investigations.