OAKLAND, Calif. — The dismissal of the criminal case stemming from the 2020 killing of Steven Taylor has ignited sharp controversy after a nationally recognized civil rights attorney formally opposed the move, arguing that the case should have proceeded to a jury.
Civil rights attorney S. Lee Merritt filed an amicus curiae opposition brief this week challenging Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson’s motion to dismiss People v. Fletcher, a voluntary manslaughter case against former San Leandro police officer Jason Fletcher. The filing framed the district attorney’s decision as legally and ethically disputed, even as the court ultimately granted the dismissal Friday.
“This moment is one of the most solemn and difficult in my career, and I know it is infinitely more so for the family and loved ones of Steven Taylor,” Jones Dickson said in a statement announcing the dismissal. She said she had met with Taylor’s family multiple times, most recently this week, and described their grief as “palpable.”…