ByteBandit
Well-known member
A Southern California labor union leader charged with obstructing an immigration raid has had his felony charge reduced to a misdemeanor. David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union California, had been facing a class A felony for allegedly resisting federal officers during a protest in Los Angeles on June 6.
Prosecutors have now filed a proposed order seeking dismissal without prejudice of the original conspiracy charge, which was also a class A felony. The move comes after Huerta's union and Democratic leaders, including Governor Gavin Newsom, denounced his arrest as an abuse of power.
Huerta had been arrested while protesting outside a business where federal agents were investigating suspected immigration violations. He sat down in front of the gate and encouraged others to walk in circles to try to prevent law enforcement from entering or leaving the premises. According to court filings, Huerta was pushed by an officer, who then arrested him.
The union claims Huerta was simply observing the raid to ensure workers were being treated fairly and had no intention of interfering with the investigation. However, prosecutors have accused him of conspiracy to impede an officer. The case has sparked widespread outrage among immigrant advocates and labor unions across the country.
Huerta's attorneys have vowed to seek a speedy trial to vindicate their client, who was later released from federal custody on a $50,000 bond after suffering injuries during the arrest. The case is seen as part of a broader pattern of alleged retaliation against critics of President Donald Trump's immigration policies.
Prosecutors have now filed a proposed order seeking dismissal without prejudice of the original conspiracy charge, which was also a class A felony. The move comes after Huerta's union and Democratic leaders, including Governor Gavin Newsom, denounced his arrest as an abuse of power.
Huerta had been arrested while protesting outside a business where federal agents were investigating suspected immigration violations. He sat down in front of the gate and encouraged others to walk in circles to try to prevent law enforcement from entering or leaving the premises. According to court filings, Huerta was pushed by an officer, who then arrested him.
The union claims Huerta was simply observing the raid to ensure workers were being treated fairly and had no intention of interfering with the investigation. However, prosecutors have accused him of conspiracy to impede an officer. The case has sparked widespread outrage among immigrant advocates and labor unions across the country.
Huerta's attorneys have vowed to seek a speedy trial to vindicate their client, who was later released from federal custody on a $50,000 bond after suffering injuries during the arrest. The case is seen as part of a broader pattern of alleged retaliation against critics of President Donald Trump's immigration policies.
... it seems like he was trying to protect his people from getting messed with by fed agents, and now he's the one who gets treated unfairly 
. i'm all for free speech and protesting, but come on! if he really had no intention of interfering, then why were they charging him with a felony? that's just not right 
. i think this is just another example of how corrupt the system can be when it comes to politics and power 
. and what's up with governor newsom being all silent on this one? should he be speaking out against the abuse of power like everyone else is doing 
. As an advocate for workers' rights, I find it perplexing that David Huerta's actions were misconstrued as obstruction. His intention to peacefully observe the raid and ensure fair treatment for his union members seems innocuous enough. The proposed dismissal of charges without prejudice is a positive step, but one cannot help but wonder about the motivations behind this decision 
So this guy gets charged with obstructing an immigration raid and now his charge gets reduced to a misdemeanor? Like, what even is the point of that? If he was just trying to ensure workers were treated fairly, why does it matter if he sat down in front of the gate? It's not like he was trying to stop a murder or something. 
And now the union and politicians are all up in arms about this being an abuse of power... meanwhile, Huerta gets to just release his charge and move on with his life. Like, isn't that how justice works? 
this whole thing is super suspicious... like how can you just reduce felony charges to misdemeanor and not even acknowledge what really went down? 
I mean, Huerta was just doing his job, trying to protect workers, and now he's being "punished" for that? 
... so David Huerta gets charged with obstructing an immigration raid but now his felony charge is reduced to a misdemeanor? That just seems weird to me. I mean, the guy was literally sitting in front of a gate and encouraging others to walk circles – that's not exactly some crazy stunt right? And from what I've read, he was just trying to make sure workers were being treated fairly during the raid... it sounds like he was just doing his job. This whole thing feels like a bigger issue than just one guy getting charged with a misdemeanor 
And didn't Gavin Newsom already clear him of any wrongdoing? This whole thing reeks of Trump-style politics 
We should all be standing up for our brothers & sisters in labor & immigrant rights - let's keep fighting for justice!! 
. who needs an obstruction charge when you can just walk in circles outside a business gate, right? 
. seriously though, this is super concerning - if they can crack down on labor rights activists like this, what's next? 
. and btw, $50k bond is like, peanuts for the feds 
. but hey, at least david got to enjoy some quality time in federal custody while he recovered from those injuries 
