On February 22nd, the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force in San Francisco unanimously found the sheriff's department in violation of three sections of the sunshine ordinance. The Sunshine Task Force stated that "the sheriff's Department shall release all records" related to the violent cell extraction that seriously injured several people who had been arrested on June 8th during the Reclaim the Commons (RTC) biotech protests. The charges against the protesters were eventually dismissed "in the interests of justice".

In order to investigate a potential lawsuit against the SF Sheriff's Dept, Attorney Ben Rosenfeld filed a request for production and preservation of records, specifically citing video of the extraction. The Sheriff's Department had released a couple of documents but maintained a tight grip on information, stating that the video, among other documents, was not public information. The Sunshine Task Force meeting delved into several privacy and freedom of information issues, as well as legal technicalities, ultimately finding the Sheriff's position in violation of sections 67.21, 67.24b, 67.27 of the Sunshine Ordinance. The Task Force said that activists and their lawyers should have access to the videotapes and other specific documents regarding their time in jail. Read more