Latest news with #CityAttorney'sOffice
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
QTAPI Pride: San Francisco march celebrates identity amid federal rollbacks
The Brief March organizers called for visibility, justice, and belonging for queer and trans AAPI communities Leaders pledged to defend LGBTQ funding amid federal cuts SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco's Queer and AAPI communities came together Tuesday evening in a vibrant display of identity, unity, and pride. They marched not only to celebrate who they are, but to affirm their belonging in a nation where, they say, growing political hostility threatens their safety and visibility. "I've worn many hats, heels, but today I'm standing here with my whole truth and let me tell you we are not just surviving, we are thriving," said Kiki Krunch. She is a drag performer, trans woman of color, immigrant, activist, and organizer of the inaugural QTAPI Strong: March for Resilience, Justice & Belonging. The event marked the launch of the Queer and Trans Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (QTAPI) coalition's first official march. It's a space created to spotlight identities often overlooked in broader LGBTQ and AAPI movements. Mayor Daniel Lurie addressed the crowd and presented a city proclamation honoring the occasion. "I am proud to proclaim May 27, 2025 QTAPI Day in the City and County of San Francisco," he said. "We also know that we are known all over the world as a place where people are allowed to love who they want to love and be who they want to be. A place where people seek safe harbor and must continue that legacy forward," Lurie said. QTAPI Week is scheduled between Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Pride Month. This year, however, the celebration comes at a time of mounting concern over federal policy shifts. The Trump administration recently canceled grants related to LGBTQ health research, with the National Institutes of Health stating the projects no longer align with agency priorities. "The organizations that have kept LGBTQ people, trans people, queer people alive are at risk of losing incredible amounts of funding," said Sister Roma, a longtime drag performer and activist. "So what I'm doing is, I'm continuing to do the work that I've always done and that is to work to raise awareness to these issues and to raise money." San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu vowed to take action. "From the perspective of my City Attorney's Office, we will be evaluating the situation with all these cuts and figure out where we can defend our federal funding," Chiu said. Lance Toma, CEO of the San Francisco Community Health Center, spoke of resilience in the face of backlash. "As we face the ongoing assaults, the attacks on DEI and gender ideology, we must stand strong," Toma said. "Our QTAPI community is as strong as we are, because of the incredible diversity and history of our queer, trans, API community in the Bay Area." QTAPI Week wraps up Thursday with a closing daylong block party in San Francisco's Castro District. The Source KTVU Interviews, AP
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
First court appearances for counterprotesters arrested at Capitol Hill event
The Brief Nearly two dozen people were arrested on Saturday as counterprotesters clashed with police on Capitol Hill. Eight people arrested over the weekend appeared in court on Monday. A judge found probable cause for third-degree assault for nearly all of those in court today. SEATTLE - Some of those arrested during a counterprotest at Saturday's Mayday USA event appeared in court for the first time on Monday. Roughly one-third of the number of people arrested were sent to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office for first appearances. The rest of the people arrested on Saturday are expected to appear for possibly lesser offenses, such as gross misdemeanors, at the City Attorney's Office. By the numbers Eight of the 23 overall people arrested appeared in court on May 26. These first appearances hearings are not the same as a criminal case referral by police for an official charging decision. Today, hearings were held to allow a judge the opportunity to determine if there is a probable cause for the arrests, determine bail amount, and determine conditions of release. Seven of the eight people in court today were released on their own personal recognizance. One person was issued a bail amount set at $20,000 for first-degree robbery and second-degree assault with a deadly weapon. The judge found probable cause for third-degree assault for the remaining seven people in court Monday. The Source Information in this story came from Seattle Police Department and the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Sweltering weather in store for Seattle this week Motorcyclist killed, driver arrested after Puyallup crash Mom of slain Idaho victim Xana Kernodle asks for help attending Bryan Kohberger trial Seattle Memorial Day weekend 2025: Your guide to events, traffic, more Tears, heartbreak at Chase Jones sentencing—teen in fatal Renton, WA crash Seattle police make arrests at counterprotest to 'Mayday USA' event in Capitol Hill Tree-sitter enters third week in WA's Olympic Foothills to halt logging Free housing for a felon? Kirkland, WA neighbors concerned over homeless hotel plans To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Norfolk attorneys in turf war over authority to prosecute shoplifting cases
A feud between Norfolk's city attorney and the city's top prosecutor over whose office should handle misdemeanor shoplifting cases has quickly escalated into a political turf war with both sides claiming chief authority. The Norfolk City Council unanimously approved a code change Tuesday that will let the City Attorney's Office prosecute misdemeanor shoplifting cases after Mayor Kenny Alexander complained Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi wasn't bringing charges. Fatehi issued a swift rebuke the next day, saying he would revoke the city attorney's authority to prosecute any misdemeanors in Circuit Court and would implement additional oversight of charges pursued in District Court. He painted the move as power grab by city lawmakers that would disproportionately be used to target poor people. But Norfolk City Attorney Bernard Pishko is now arguing Fatehi lacks the legal power to forbid his office from prosecuting misdemeanor shoplifting cases in Circuit Court. 'You lack the resources to attend to many of the issues our citizens face on a daily basis, and your prosecutors could not replicate the relationship we have with our code enforcement officers,' Pishko wrote in a letter sent Thursday. Under Virginia law, commonwealth's attorneys — elected constitutional officers — must prosecute all felonies in their jurisdictions. But prosecutors have discretion on misdemeanor crimes, and Fatehi says the state does not provide funding for attorneys to handle misdemeanor case loads. Virginia state code says city attorney's offices in the commonwealth can prosecute misdemeanor cases, so long as the city council wants them to and the elected commonwealth's attorney signs off on it. The Code of Virginia section reads: 'City and town attorneys, if so authorized by their local governing bodies, and with the concurrence of the attorney for the commonwealth for the locality, may prosecute criminal cases charging either the violation of city or town ordinances, or the commission of misdemeanors within the city or town.' Fatehi said under that law, his office has the authority to permit the city attorney's office to prosecute state and city misdemeanors. As of 5 p.m. Friday, he said he will revoke the city attorney's permission to prosecute any offenses punishable by jail or fine in Circuit Court. Further, he plans to scrutinize all cases the city attorney's office pursues in District Court, requiring them to provide monthly reports about all criminal cases they staff. However, Pishko said in his letter city code directs the city attorney to prosecute all city code violations, and the Code of Virginia says municipal corporations shall have all powers granted to it by its charter. Thus, Pishko said Fatehi's referenced state code section was superseded by another state code section. The matter could see the two attorneys duke it out in court. In his letter, Pishko asked Fatehi to rescind his decision and said doing so would eliminate the need for a seeking a declaratory judgement. Fatehi said the two parties met in person Thursday but were unable to reach an agreement. 'I remain ready to have a serious discussion on how to avoid the criminalization of poverty, but until I see a meaningful change in the position of the City Attorney or his employer, my letter stands,' Fatehi said in an email. Norfolk prosecutor revokes city attorney authority on shoplifting charges following council vote Norfolk to vote on allowing city attorney to prosecute misdemeanor shoplifting Norfolk commonwealth's attorney faces challenge from former federal prosecutor Amanda Howie, administrator for the Virginia Association of Commonwealth's Attorneys, said she could not recall a top prosecutor in another Virginia locality ever attempting to forbid a city or county attorney from prosecuting cases. She did not know whether Fatehi's moves were legal. The feud kicked off when Alexander announced a plan for the City Attorney's Office to begin prosecuting misdemeanor shoplifting cases at his annual State of the City event. Fatehi said he lacked the state or city funding to staff the prosecution of misdemeanor shoplifting cases, and the city has ignored requests for more funding. He also called the move politically motivated — Fatehi is facing a June 17 Democratic primary challenge by John Butler, a former federal prosecutor. Butler has been endorsed by Alexander and City Council members Jeremy McGee, Tommy Smigiel and Courtney Doyle. Most prosecutor's offices in Hampton Roads take at least on some misdemeanor cases, such as DUIs, some domestic assaults and cases involving violence in schools. For many other misdemeanors, police officers organize the case against the defendants, just as they do with traffic cases. Though the officers are considered witnesses rather than prosecutors, they must essentially prosecute their own cases without a lawyer. It's a common practice when prosecutors are not available for whatever reason, said Rob Poggenklass, the executive director of Justice Forward Virginia, a state criminal justice reform group. In Norfolk, for example, the Norfolk Police Department can — and does — still make arrests in misdemeanor shoplifting cases, but must handle the cases on its own. When prosecutors in Hampton and Newport News backed away from handling misdemeanor marijuana possession cases in 2012, police began handling the cases on their own. But because drug possession could be difficult to prosecute, police were having difficulties handling such cases. The Hampton City Council in 2014 created a position within the City Attorney's Office to take on the marijuana cases, the Daily Press reported at the time. In 2016, the Newport News City Council granted their Commonwealth's Attorney two new positions in return for agreeing to prosecute the misdemeanor marijuana cases once again. Several Norfolk residents who spoke at the council's Tuesday meeting expressed concern the move to pursue more misdemeanor shoplifting charges would harm the city's most vulnerable people. Poggenklass said more prosecutions would only hurt marginalized Norfolk residents and would not deter the act of stealing. He said city officials should instead be investigating why residents are stealing and providing structural supports to eliminate the need for the crime. Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, Peter Dujardin, 757-897-2062, pdujardin@
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Norfolk City Council directs city attorney to pursue misdemeanor shoplifting crimes
Norfolk City Council members unanimously approved a code change that will let the City Attorney's Office prosecute misdemeanor shoplifting cases, despite objections from some residents. City Council members said during Tuesday's meeting the code change would help prosecute organized shoplifters damaging Norfolk small businesses. 'This gives us more opportunity to have insight and say-so,' said council member John 'JP' Paige. The code change would allow the City Attorney's Office to prosecute misdemeanor shoplifting crimes. Currently, the Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney's office prosecutes every felony shoplifting case, and the office has the discretion to decide whether to prosecute misdemeanor crimes. However, Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi said his office does not have enough state or city funding to staff misdemeanor cases. Several residents spoke against the code change during Tuesday's meeting, saying it could disproportionately harm the city's most vulnerable citizens. Portsmouth approves $878M budget, along with new tax rate and more school funding Virginia Beach approves $2.8 billion operating budget with boost to public safety Norfolk council adopts $1.6 billion budget, includes 2-hour free parking Norfolk to vote on allowing city attorney to prosecute misdemeanor shoplifting Hampton adjusts budget to cover vetoed gun violence prevention funds Sharon Houston said the measure would hurt families living in poverty. 'The rich will get richer,' Houston said. 'The poor will get poorer.' Council member Mamie Johnson also said the city would continue to help low-income residents access city programs and other wraparound services so they wouldn't feel the need to shoplift items like groceries. The threshold for felony larceny has been raised in recent years from $200and now stands at $1,000 or more in stolen goods. The felony charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500, according to the Code of Virginia. The misdemeanor charge would apply to stolen goods with a value of less than $1,000 and would be punishable by up to a year in prison and up to a $2,500 fine. The issue became a point of contention between Fatehi and Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander, when Alexander announced the code change plans at his annual State of the City address in April. Alexander claimed Fatehi's office was not doing enough to prosecute what he described as well-organized, planned-out thefts. Fatehi is facing a June 17 Democratic primary challenge by John Butler, a former federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Norfolk. Butler has been endorsed by Alexander and City Council members Jeremy McGee, Tommy Smigiel and Courtney Doyle. Norfolk City Attorney Bernard Pishko told the Pilot his office would try the cases with existing staff and that fines from the cases would pay for the additional costs incurred by the prosecutions. There is no minimum dollar amount that can be charged as a misdemeanor under the new code. Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345,
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Candidate Profile: Shannon M. Jones (Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney race)
Shannon M. Jones is a candidate for Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney and is running as a Democrat. Her name will appear on the June 17, 2025 ballot. Taylor is running against Howard E. Gwynn in the June democratic primary. The winner will appear on the ballot for the General Election on Nov. 4. If you are voting in this election, from May 2 through June 14 you can vote early at your On Election Day, polls in Virginia are open from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. Don't forget to bring your ID. to see who is on your ballot. 10 On Your Side reached out to all of the candidates running in this race, with a request for a bio and a list of questions to answer. If you do not see the candidate listed with a profile, we did not receive one. Candidate Profiles Candidate Name: Shannon M. JonesAge: 40 years oldCandidate Website: Shannon Jones is a seasoned attorney and community advocate running for Commonwealth's Attorney in Newport News. A proud graduate of Old Dominion University and Howard University School of Law, Shannon began her legal career in the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, where she gained invaluable experience in a large, fast-paced urban justice system. She has since served in both the Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney's Office and the City Attorney's Office, prosecuting serious offenses and advising public safety departments including police, fire, codes compliance, and human resources. Shannon is the founder of the STARS Mock Trial Program for high school students at An Achievable Dream and is a committed leader in the legal community, having served as past president of the Greater Peninsula Women's Bar Association and as a board member of the Newport News Bar Association. She also chairs the Criminal Justice Committee for the Newport News NAACP. Shannon is the first woman to ever run for this office and is campaigning on a platform of fairness, community engagement, and meaningful reform. I'm running for Commonwealth's Attorney because I believe Newport News is ready for a justice system that truly works for everyone. We need to do more to build trust between the community and law enforcement, more to support our young people, and more to make sure the system is fair and accountable. I've worked in both the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office and the City Attorney's Office, so I've seen the system from different sides. I've been a prosecutor, worked with victims and law enforcement, and advised the departments that help keep our city safe. That experience gives me a clear picture of what's working and what needs to change. Our citizens deserve a real choice and a vision for progress. I'm proud to be the first woman to ever run for this position, and I'm ready to bring a new perspective to the office. I'm running because I know we can do better and I'm ready to lead that change. I am qualified to hold this office because I have the broad and practical experience that this role demands. I have tried nearly every type of criminal case there is, including sexual assault, child abuse and neglect, robbery, and murder. My work has spanned both criminal and civil cases, and I have handled matters in both state and federal court. That kind of versatility is rare, and it has prepared me to lead this office with confidence and clarity. Right now, I serve in the Newport News City Attorney's Office, where I represent our police department of nearly 500 officers and our fire department of over 300 personnel. I work closely with these agencies every day, helping them navigate legal challenges and supporting their efforts to serve the public with integrity and accountability. Because I've worked in both prosecution and local government, I understand all sides of our justice system—how cases are built, how they are prosecuted, and how they impact our community. I bring a perspective and a vision that my opponent simply does not have. This office needs someone who can lead with experience, fairness, and a true commitment to progress, and I am ready to do exactly that. One of the biggest obstacles to obtaining convictions in our city is a lack of trust. When community members do not feel confident that the justice system will treat them fairly, they are less likely to come forward as witnesses, participate in investigations, or testify in court. That hesitation directly impacts our ability to build strong cases and achieve just outcomes. Trust cannot be demanded—it has to be earned. That starts with showing the community that the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office is committed to fairness, transparency, and accountability. That is why I believe in a community prosecution model. Prosecutors should not only be seen in courtrooms but also in neighborhoods, schools, and community spaces. Building real relationships outside the courtroom helps create a stronger foundation inside the courtroom. When people know the prosecutor's office is invested in their safety and well-being, they are more willing to engage in the process and help hold offenders accountable. Another challenge is staffing. Like many offices across the state, we are struggling to recruit and retain experienced prosecutors. I want to build a team that is not only highly qualified, but also reflective of the diverse community we serve. Representation matters. It helps rebuild trust and ensures different perspectives are brought into every decision we make. Balancing the enforcement of laws with ensuring fairness, especially for historically marginalized communities, requires both sensitivity and a commitment to justice. As Commonwealth's Attorney, I would make sure that we enforce the law fairly while also considering the broader context that leads to crime in the first place. One way to do this is by using discretion in prosecution. For non-violent offenders or those whose actions stem from systemic issues like poverty or lack of opportunity, we should focus on intervention and rehabilitation. This can help reduce the over-incarceration of people from marginalized communities and break the cycle of criminal justice involvement. I also believe that trust between the prosecutor's office and the community is key. By being transparent and engaging with the people we serve, we can make sure that the laws are enforced in a way that respects everyone's rights and addresses the root causes of crime. This approach not only ensures fairness but also helps make our communities safer and more united. I would like to work more collaboratively with the Attorney General's office to prosecute the most dangerous offenders in our community. Some Commonwealth's Attorney offices have a dedicated Attorney General assigned to them, and Newport News could definitely benefit from having one as well. This would help us focus more resources on the prosecution of violent criminals, human trafficking cases, and other complex offenses that require specialized expertise. A stronger partnership with the Attorney General's office would ensure we are better equipped to handle these critical cases and make our city safer. Additionally, I believe that local collaboration between the Attorney General's office and the Commonwealth's Attorney's office can be extremely beneficial for community outreach. By working together on educational initiatives, we can strengthen our relationships with the community and help residents understand their rights and responsibilities within the justice system. For example, having the Attorney General's office teach in the STARS Program has been a great benefit to our students. Their involvement provides young people with valuable knowledge about the legal system and empowers them to make positive decisions in the future. A continued partnership like this can make a real difference in educating and engaging the community, which ultimately leads to safer and more trusting relationships between the public and law enforcement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
