Lawsuits attempt to halt Pride Celebration at Civic Center in light of shootings

A post-parade celebration at S.F. Civic Center during Pride 2012. A post-parade celebration at S.F. Civic Center during Pride 2012. Image 1 of / 233 Caption Close Lawsuits attempt to halt Pride Celebration at Civic Center in light of shootings 1 / 233 Back to Gallery

Two lawsuits filed in Superior Court in San Francisco on Wednesday are seeking an injunction to halt next month's Pride Celebration at Civic Center.

Citing shootings that happened in 2012, 2013 and 2014 — and shots fired at the 2010 and 2011 celebrations — one lawsuit said the SF Pride Committee has "utterly failed to address its insufficient security protocols" and sought to keep the Pride Celebration from happening.

Ryan Lapine, an attorney for the plaintiffs who are filing the lawsuits, said Thursday that the committee has said in its own correspondence that there are security issues with the celebration.

"If you look at the 2013 wrap up report, they say in their papers that, 'We are negligent,'" Lapine said in a phone interview with SFGATE. "They acknowledge that they have problems at their closing times for years, but have taken no steps to address them."

Both lawsuits allege that the committee has ignored recommendations on security, including hiring more security officers, setting up a fenced perimeter for the festivities and not screening attendees for weapons.

The lawsuits affect only the Civic Center celebration, and are not meant to impact the parade.

The SF Pride Committee has been sued in the past for violence that has taken place at or near the weekend celebrations, with Lapine previously representing another client, Trevor Gardner, who was shot in 2013 at the Civic Center. Gardner had been injured in the leg and had sued the committee, with similar claims of the event failing to provide enough security for attendees.

The SF Pride Committee wound up settling that lawsuit in November 2015 for an undisclosed amount, according to the Bay Area Reporter.

This time, Lapine is representing Mahlik Smith and Monte Smith of Oakland, ages 19 and 20, who were both allegedly injured in the 2013 shooting that also injured Gardner. The suit alleges that both Mahlik and Monte were injured in the resulting crowd stampede that happened after Gardner had been shot.

Lapine is also representing Freddy Atton of San Francisco, who was allegedly injured in a shooting that happened after a fight broke out at the Saturday Pride Celebration in 2015. That lawsuit alleges that Atton suffered a gunshot wound to his left arm and that he has lost the use of his left hand as a result.

Sam Singer, a spokesman for the SF Pride Committee, responded to the purported safety issue, saying that the group feels that the lawsuit is "without merit," and that the Pride Celebration is "safe and fun and iconic."

"There have been very few incidents of any sort during the 45 year history of SF Pride — that's what makes this attempt at an injunction so false and misleading," Singer said Thursday. "The few incidents that have occurred have not involved anyone who was part of SF Pride and they have been on the periphery of the celebration."

For Singer, he said the Committee believes that the lawsuit will be dismissed and that the Pride Celebration will continue as scheduled.

"The personal-injury attorney essentially is threatening an injunction that is meant to intimidate San Francisco Pride," Singer said. "We will not be bullied by false claims, and strongly believe that the court will see this action for what it is, which is misleading and false."

San Francisco Pride is scheduled to take place on June 25 and 26.