Phoenix police and prosecutors charge protesters as 'street gang' over anti-police speech
Phoenix Police Department officers and Maricopa County prosecutors charged at least 15 racial-justice protesters in October 2020 as members of a criminal 'street gang' called ACAB, citing chants, clothing, and social-media posts. A judge dismissed the gang allegations in 2021 and an internal investigation found misconduct.
Following protests after the August 2020 police shooting of James Garcia, Phoenix Police Department officers and Maricopa County Attorney's Office prosecutors charged at least 15 protesters in October 2020 with conspiracy and rioting, and uniquely alleged they were members of a criminal 'street gang' called 'ACAB' — an acronym used as an anti-police slogan. Charging documents cited chants, black clothing, and social-media posts as evidence of gang membership. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office dismissed all charges in early 2021 after public outcry. A subsequent independent investigation by Ballard Spahr concluded prosecutors and police had improperly criminalized protected expression; the county attorney was censured by the State Bar of Arizona in 2023.