- “The family says the move was carried out in secrecy, without transparency or compassion, and contradicted the principles of justice the office is sworn to uphold.” – Family of Steven Taylor
By Vanguard Staff
OAKLAND – The family of Steven Taylor, a Black man killed by San Leandro police inside a Walmart in 2020, is speaking out after Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones-Dickson filed a motion to dismiss the criminal case against the officer who killed him. The family says the move was carried out in secrecy, without transparency or compassion, and contradicted the principles of justice the office is sworn to uphold.
On Tuesday, Dec. 9, Jones-Dickson met with the family of Steven Taylor for the second time since taking office. At the start of that meeting, she informed them that she would be filing a motion later that day to dismiss the case, effectively ending one of the few remaining police accountability prosecutions in Alameda County.
According to the family, the DA’s handling of the case has been deceitful from the start. They said that on Nov. 25, the grandmother of Steven Taylor, Addie Kitchen, received an email from the DA’s office stating that a motion had already been filed that same day. When the family reached out for clarification, every staff member they contacted claimed to have no knowledge of the motion or its contents.
On Nov. 17, Taylor’s grandmother emailed the Victim Advocate Office to request a meeting with Jones-Dickson before the Thanksgiving holiday, providing three dates and time windows of availability. Her request went unanswered. She then called the victim advocate’s office every day leading up to Thanksgiving, with no one answering or returning her calls.
It was not until Dec. 2 that the DA’s executive assistant responded, stating that Jones-Dickson would meet with the family on Dec. 9, just three days before a Dec. 12 court date that the family said they were never informed about or told what the court date was for until the meeting on Dec. 9.
During that meeting, Jones-Dickson announced her intention to dismiss the case, shocking the family. She also revealed that the motion would not be heard by the original presiding judge, Judge Reardon, but instead by a judge she had personally selected. The family called this a deeply troubling deviation from normal procedure.
The revelation came less than a month after Judge Reardon had denied a defense motion to dismiss the case for a second time on Nov. 14, reinforcing that the evidence against the officer warranted proceeding.
Steven Taylor was a 33-year-old artist, father of three, and a beloved son, grandson, and community member. Officer Jason Fletcher shot him on April 18, 2020, within 40 seconds of encountering him inside a Walmart in San Leandro. The killing was captured on body-worn camera, and the public watched the incident unfold in real time, sparking national outrage and protests across the Bay Area.
In a public statement dated Dec. 10, the family announced that they had formally filed a detailed letter-motion with Alameda County Superior Court challenging the District Attorney’s attempt to dismiss the case under Penal Code section 1385. The filing is now part of the official court record.
According to the statement, the letter-motion lays out in Addie Kitchen’s words the full truth of what the family has endured over five and a half years: 43 court hearings, months of unanswered calls and emails, confusion about the direction of the case, and a disclosure made only moments before filing that the District Attorney intended to seek dismissal.
The family said that for an 84-year-old grandmother who has attended every hearing, the process has been exhausting and dehumanizing. They argued that no family should have to fight this hard simply to be told the truth about their loved one’s case.
At a press conference today, the family stood with community leaders, including Cat Brooks, and civil rights attorney Adante Pointer, who spoke about what they described as systemic failures, lack of transparency, and a long pattern of institutions protecting law enforcement instead of victims.
In the public statement, the family said, “We placed the truth on the record. We corrected the narrative. We stood up to a process that attempted to silence and mislead us. And we took action to prevent a miscarriage of justice.”
Their request to the court was clear: deny the People’s section 1385 motion, honor the constitutional rights of victims, recognize the rulings already made by Judge Reardon, ensure that the motion is heard by Judge Reardon rather than a handpicked judge, and allow the case to go to trial on Jan. 26, 2026.
“Steven deserves that day. His son deserves that day. Our family deserves that day. And our community deserves the truth,” the family said. They vowed to continue standing together until justice is fully served.
Follow the Vanguard on Social Media – X, Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe the Vanguard News letters. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit davisvanguard.org/donate or give directly through ActBlue. Your support will ensure that the vital work of the Vanguard continues.
