A 27-year-old San Diego woman is facing criminal misdemeanor charges due to her alleged role in organizing last week’s public gathering protesting COVID-19 stay at home orders signed by Gov. Gavin Newsome, according to media reports.
The Daily Mail reported that Naomi Sorla was notified of potentially facing three months in jail for coordinating a march by the San Diego Police Department on Tuesday.
“They plan to keep us locked down INDEFINITELY and send us stimulus checks so we feel better about ENTRAPMENT! They are TRAPPING us. Cornering us and have us right where they want us,” posted Sorla on her Naomi Israel Facebook page.
San Diego Cityscape Bay
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Some 400 people gathered at the San Diego Hall of Justice for a Freedom Rally on April 25, according to the Daily Mail, with Sorla reportedly vowing to continue her organizing efforts in a follow-up post with a plea for contributions.
“I will be arrested on Sunday for exercising my constitutional rights," Sorla wrote. "I have attorneys ready and an entire team here to protect me but I need your help.”
Neither the San Diego City Attorney nor the San Diego Police Department immediately returned the Southern California Record’s request for comment.
Executive Order N-33-20 was issued on March 19, requiring Californians to follow rules issued by the Department of Public Health that citizens stay home due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Center of American Liberty alleges that the directives are denying the constitutional rights of residents to peacefully gather and petition verbally.
“Neither the Governor’s Order or state public health directives exempt demonstrations, protests, or other First Amendment-protected activities from enforcement,” a press release states online. “The Governor has also specifically ordered the California Highway Patrol to deny protest/rally permits at the State Capitol, a core First Amendment speech venue.”
San Diego criminal defense attorney David P. Shapiro said he doubted that Sorla would see jail time.
"The city attorney is in a tough spot because it appears the governor’s orders have been violated but is it worth their time? Probably not but anyone who is violating the governor’s orders should be investigated,” Shapiro told the Southern California Record. “Under the conspiracy statute, if two or more people agree to commit a crime, you don’t have to complete the crime to be in violation. Just the agreement and an act of furtherance is enough for conspiracy charges.”
Shapiro added that protestors should stand six feet apart when peacefully marching and wear masks to avoid arrest.