SAN FRANCISCO
Lee Heidhues 12.10.2023
The San Francisco Chronicle finally published an opinion piece on the insidious Citizen’s Arrest. A legal tool often used by citizen’s wishing to settle disputes by utilizing the police as their enforcer and legal executioner.
I know all too well the malevolent manner in which the citizen’s arrest can be abused. Right here in allegedly “progressive” San Francisco.
My decades long wife a respected educator, parent, grandparent and San Francisco native was two times, at the age of 68 and 70, the subject of citizen’s arrests. Acting as “custodian” (that’s the legal term) the SFPD took my wife into custody.
Why? vindictive neighbors twice in less than two years completed and signed a Citizen’s Arrest. The SFPD witnessed neither offense. Both citizen’s arrests were woven out of whole cloth with no legal basis or evidentiary basis whatsoever.
I had twice to post $20,000 cash bail to have my wife released from San Francisco County Jail. The Superior Court made quick work of both False Citizen’s Arrests. Dismissing one “In the Interest of Justice (PC 1385) and discharging the other.
We sued the neighbors in San Francisco Superior Court for both False Citizen’s Arrests. The neighbors who consummated both False Citizen’s Arrests moved to have the false arrest allegations quashed. The Court denied the Motion. The neighbors agreed to a settlement shortly thereafter and eventually signed the Agreement in our favor.
Still, the psychological and financial damage was done. It is long lasting and will stay with us, particularly my wife, forever.
Justice in America is elusive and expensive.
Top photo: Liz. Subject of two False Citizen’s Arrests (circa 2019) and author of the attached blog post.
Lee's Perspective 