Photos and videos by Amanda Andrade-Rhoades
In an act of silent protest against what they consider crushing caseloads and chronic underfunding, members of the San Francisco public defender’s office showed up to work on Thursday wearing one color: black.
The protest coincided with the office’s refusal to accept new misdemeanor cases one day per week, a practice it began last May, and which prompted a San Francisco judge to fine the city’s elected public defender, Mano Raju, $26,000 for contempt of court. Under District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, there has been almost a 50% increase in charged crimes since 2020, though the total number of cases charged in 2025 was less than in 2019. The public defender’s office’s budget increased from $42 million in 2020 to $58 million in 2025. The district attorney’s office budget in 2025 is $96 million…