Judge Strikes Legal Blow Against San Francisco Housing Authority
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – A San Francisco Superior Court judge has issued a ruling that could threaten the San Francisco Housing Authority's future use of civil injunctions to keep people with criminal pasts away from public housing sites.
The injunctions order people to stay at least 150 yards away from 53 Housing Authority properties. But Marcus Johnson sued after he was arrested four times for visiting his young children at a public housing site.
KCBS' Chris Filippi Reports:
San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Anne Irwin said the judge sided with Johnson and ruled that the order interfered with his ability to exist in San Francisco.
"He couldn't attend schools, parks, recreational centers or job training facilities," Irwin said.
In total, criminal charges against seven people for injunction violations were dropped.
Although the District Attorney's Office did not oppose the constitutional challenge, spokesperson Erica Derryck said the DA believes there are some injunctions that are defensible.
"When those cases are presented to us as violations, we will charge and prosecute them," Derryck said.
The Housing Authority did not return calls to KCBS.
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