A San Diego woman is facing a $1,000 fine or 90 days jail time over Saturday's downtown anti-lockdown protest rally - but has said she...
A San Diego woman is facing a $1,000 fine or 90 days jail time over Saturday's downtown anti-lockdown protest rally - but has said she is planning a second demonstration for Sunday.
Naomi Soria, 27, faces criminal misdemeanor charges after she organized last week's downtown protest against California Governor Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home order, put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
Around 400 people sporting Donald Trump merchandise waved American flags and marched on the San Diego Hall of Justice during San Diego's 'Freedom Rally' Saturday afternoon.
This marked just one of many demonstrations taking place across the US, as thousands of protesters have taken to the streets demanding governors bring an end to coronavirus lockdown rules and reopen states for business, despite the virus death toll continuing to soar nationwide.
Naomi Soria, 27, faces criminal misdemeanor charges after she organized last week's downtown protest against California Governor Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home order
Soria has said she is planning a second demonstration despite facing charges over Saturday's anti-lockdown protest rally
Around 400 people sporting Donald Trump merchandise waved American flags and marched on the San Diego Hall of Justice during San Diego's 'Freedom Rally' Saturday afternoon
Soria, who goes by the name Naomi Israel on Facebook, said the San Diego Police Department notified her of the potential charges Tuesday.
The SDPD confirmed to CBS8 that Soria is the only protester they have submitted a case on to the city attorney's office.
They said they are 'requesting their review to issue charges against the protest organizer for violating the county health order by organizing a gathering'.
Police said that Soria organized the protest and encouraged others to gather, which is a violation of the stay-at-home order.
Soria slammed the authorities saying they are trying to take away her constitutional rights and said she is planning another protest in Pacific Beach for this weekend.
'They can't stop me. I'm exercising my God-given constitutional rights and I'm protected by all the amendments,' she said, according to CBS8.
She then took to social media to ask for people to fund her legal bill.
'I will be arrested on Sunday for exercising my constitutional rights. I have attorneys ready and an entire team here to protect me but I need your help,' she wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday.
Soria said the San Diego Police Department notified her of the potential charges Tuesday
Police said that Soria organized the protest and encouraged others to gather, which is a violation of the stay-at-home order
This marked just one of many demonstrations taking place across the US, as thousands of protesters have taken to the streets demanding governors bring an end to coronavirus lockdown rules and reopen states for business
'Centers for American Liberty is assisting with my cause and has put up a way for you to help fundraise the money for my attorneys fees and any fees involved in this fight.'
She also insisted she followed social distancing guidelines during the 'peaceful protest'.
The Center for American Liberty, which was founded by Republican activist Harmeet Dhillon and also filed a lawsuit last week against Newsom for banning in-person church services, confirmed it is representing Soria.
Dhillon blasted the arrest an 'abuse of power' by the state.
'The First Amendment guarantees the right to peacefully protest. Our client participated in a responsible protest adhering to social distancing guidelines. She, along with other protestors, stood six feet apart on a public sidewalk,' Dhillon said in a statement.
Soria slammed the authorities saying they are trying to take away her constitutional rights
Soria is also planning another protest in Pacific Beach for this weekend
'The right to assemble and to petition the government does not exist if there are topics that are off limit,' she said.
'Governor Newsom cannot shut down the state's economy and then prosecute criminally freedom-loving Californians who peacefully protest his decision.'
California has been hard hit by the pandemic, with 1,442 deaths and 37,862 cases as of Thursday.
Newsom has held firm with the state's lockdown, as the stay-at-home order continues indefinitely while other largely Republican states have begun reopening for business.
Revolts against stay-at-home orders continued into their second week across several US states, as thousands of Americans disregarded social distancing rules to protest against the shutdowns that have left millions out of work but health experts insist are critical to saving lives amid the deadly outbreak.
This comes as the death toll from the pandemic continues to soar, as more than 49,000 Americans have been killed and 871,000 infected.
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