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Detroit police officers beat, gassed and maced five people who attended nonviolent protests against racial injustice and police brutality last year as dedicated legal observers, a new federal civil rights lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit was filed April 2 against the City of Detroit by five plaintiffs who are also volunteer legal observers for the Detroit & Michigan Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG). It was formally announced to the public in a press conference Monday.
The lawsuit alleges Plaintiffs Emma Howland-Bolton, Clarissa Grimes, Sara Habbo, Shannon McEvilly and Marie Reimers were subject to arrest, violence and injuries at the hands of the Detroit Police Department while legally observing nonviolent protests in the summer of 2020.
One observer said they were beaten and gassed several times over the course of the year, ClickonDetroit.com reported. Others said they suffered lasting impact from their injuries.
“I was maced on my back, head, neck, face and arms. I suffered chemical burns from that attack that took weeks to heal,” one legal observer said at the press conference.
The role of the legal observer is to monitor police interactions with activists, record arrests, and report unlawful behavior during protests,” the lawsuit reportedly says.
However the observers allege they themselves were exposed to the excessive force deployed by the police that they were there to bear witness to. This in turn made them fearful of carrying out their roles, and saw them leaving protests early or not going at all.
Detroit police should have known the individuals were at the protests as legal observers because they wear distinct neon green hats, the lawsuit alleges.
“Deputy chief gave us assurances that these legal observers wearing the green hats would be respected, and allowed to observe. We were not,” another legal observer said.
The lawsuit seeks at least $75,000 in damages, the Detroit Metro Times reported. It was also reportedly amended Monday to seek injunctive relief that would prevent further harm against the legal observers.
In an online fundraiser NLG Detroit is running to try to raise $20,000 to cover the plaintiffs’ legal costs, the legal observers said the City of Detroit had been “aggressively fighting” lawsuits from protestors, “even going so far as to file a counterclaim against protestors.”
This is the latest in a sweep of lawsuits following last year’s protests against racial injustice, in which hundreds of people around the country allege they were injured by police while demonstrating.
In Sept. 2020, the City of Detroit, its mayor, police chief, and numerous named and unnamed police officers were sued by nonprofit Detroit Will Breathe, alleging police brutality had been inflicted on peaceful protesters during the summer.
Protestors, reporters and other civilians are fighting back against police brutality in the United States, suing both the government officials and police responsible for attacks on demonstrators and people of color.
For a complete guide to the nation’s racial justice lawsuits, click here.
What do you think about this civil rights lawsuit against the City of Detroit? Let us know in the comments!
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