RICHARDSON BAY, CA – President of the Marin County Homeless Union Robbie Powelson late last month announced he was taking legal action against the Sausalito Police Department, Richardson Bay Regional Agency (RBRA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Powelson is alleging false arrests and malicious prosecution during his protests against the destruction of boats belonging to Richardson Bay’s Anchor Outs community.
The lawsuit, which was expected to be filed in the U.S District Court in Oakland, apparently stems from three high-profile incidents in 2021.
Powelson asserts the arrests were part of a coordinated effort to silence his protests against what he describes as the unlawful destruction of vessels belonging to unhoused individuals living on Richardson Bay.
According to Powelson, the first incident was on March 24, 2021, where Powelson was allegedly beaten with an oar by Army Corps supervisor Marty Plische while protesting.
The incident was captured on video, said Powelson and amassed over 5.3 million views on YouTube. Porsche was later criminally charged for the attack, as reported by the Mercury News.
In the second incident, Powelson claims he was arrested without probable cause while on a houseboat. The incident was featured in the New Yorker documentary Anchored Out and reported by the Marin Independent Journal.
The third incident includes an alleged wrongful arrest during a protest in which Powelson swam to Anchor Out vessels to prevent their destruction by the RBRA. This protest was widely covered, including by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Powelson said his lawsuit seeks accountability from local and federal agencies, alleging the arrests violated his constitutional rights and were intended to suppress activism on behalf of unhoused individuals.
The criminal charges against Powelson, he clams, were dismissed earlier this year in April. Advocates argue his case highlights the struggles faced by Anchor Outs, a historically marginalized community.
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Hello! My name is Sofia Bruno and I am a first year studying Political Science at UCLA. I interned at a criminal defense law firm in San Francisco and have seen the lack of equity for advocacy and justice first-hand, so I am passionate about pursuing a career in law focused on uplifting marginalized and underepresented groups.
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Alessandra Soberanes is a second-year student at the University of California, Berkeley. She has declared her major in Society & Environment and plans to pursue a double major in Legal Studies. Additionally, she is currently working on a minor in Sustainable Business & Policy. Alessandra is passionate about addressing environmental injustices, particularly those affecting her hometown in the Inland Empire. Her areas of interest include environmental and immigration law, and she aspires to serve as a positive role model for first-generation Hispanic students pursuing legal careers.
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