Facts

Plaintiffs Tiffany Cross, Tiana Reddic, Shalonda Adams, and others filed a lawsuit against Defendant City and County of San Francisco alleging violations of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

PLAINTIFF'S CONTENTIONS: Plaintiffs, 7 African Americans, contended they were selectively targeted and then prosecuted on the basis of their race as part of Operation Safe Schools, a program jointly undertaken by the United States Attorney's Office, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the San Francisco Police Department. Plaintiffs contended defendants' operation consisted of undercover law enforcement officers or confidential informants, who carried out a series of buy- walk transactions, and undercover officers or confidential informants targeted African American in the Tenderloin area to buy small amounts of drugs. A total of 37 people were arrested as part of Operation Safe Schools, all of them black. Plaintiffs contended San Francisco Police Department officers violated plaintiffs' equal protection rights and Violated Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

DEFENDANTS' CONTENTIONS: Defendants denied the contentions and moved to dismiss the equal protection and Title VI claims, contending the claims were time barred.

Result

The parties agreed to settle for the amount of $225,000. In addition, the City of San Francisco's Department of Police Accountability will also be required to include a new category for "racial bias" on police citizen complaint forms.