Police said Fresno homeless advocate interfered during eviction. DA won’t go to trial
.jpg "Dez Martinez, a homeless advocate, speaks about a need for affordable housing and homeless resources in Fresno during a rally in September 2022.")
A misdemeanor charge of interfering with a police officer has been dropped against homeless advocate Desiree “Dez” Martinez.
Martinez was scheduled to go to trial on the charge Thursday, but the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office said it was dismissing the case.
“During the preparation of the case for trial, supervising prosecutors determined after review of all pertinent evidence that the case could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Taylor P. Long, the district attorney’s public information officer, in an email.
Martinez’s attorney Kevin Little said the case arose from a March 17, 2022 incident at a hotel near Olive and Parkway avenues that was converted into temporary housing for the homeless.
Little said the incident was recorded on video. Martinez was helping a homeless woman who management wanted evicted in the middle of then night.
“Ms. Martinez took exception to one of the officers’ repeated threats to arrest her if she did not desist, and she was subsequently arrested,” Little said in a text message. “Both advocating for the rights of others and criticizing public officials, including police officers, are protected activities under the First Amendment. One cannot be convicted for engaging in such behaviors.”
Martinez is well-known in the community as being a tireless advocate for the homeless and for challenging the city’s treatment of the unhoused.
