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The Dallas police department was recently hit with a lawsuit filed by two Texans who claim they were attacked without reason during peaceful protests.
Plaintiffs Vincent Doyle and Tasia Williams, two black Americans, say that they were attempting to exercise their First Amendment rights last week while protesting the tragic death of George Floyd. Unfortunately, the plaintiffs say they were attacked and injured by Dallas police officers in a show of “extreme and lethal force.”
On May 25, George Floyd was killed by police officers in Minneapolis – sparking outrage after the man’s death was caught on video. In the weeks following the incident, peaceful protests have been held across the country as Americans call for justice.
The plaintiffs note that Dallas was no exception, with many residents joining the protests. Similarly to several other major cities, police officers in Dallas have allegedly responded to peaceful protests with excessive force and unprovoked attacks.
“Undeterred by the fact that police officers’ use of excessive force is the very subject of these demonstrations, City of Dallas Police Department officers have repeatedly used extreme and lethal force against these crowds over the past thirteen days, targeting peaceful, non-threatening protesters and bystanders with tear gas, smoke bombs, flash-bangs, Pepper Balls, mace, and what are known as ‘kinetic impact projectiles,’ or ‘KIPs,’” the Dallas police brutality lawsuit claims.
“And without regard to the ongoing global pandemic involving respiratory disease COVID-19, police have tear-gassed and smoke-bombed protesters, many of whom may have already been infected with Covid-19, making them all the more likely to suffer simply because they exercised their First Amendment rights.”
While peacefully protesting and attempting to exercise their First Amendment rights, both Doyle and Williams were allegedly made victims of “the very same unjustified and horrific police brutality they were demonstrating against.”
Both plaintiffs were reportedly hit with “less lethal” KIPS – commonly known as rubber bullets. Although these projectiles are represented as “nonlethal” or “less lethal,” the plaintiffs challenge the use of rubber bullets against peaceful protesters.
According to the Texas residents, decades of evidence has shown that rubber bullets are capable of disabling, disfiguring and even killing their targets.
“The manufacturers, distributors, and sellers of these projectiles—and the police departments that use them against their own citizens—praise these bullets as being ‘nonlethal’ or ‘less lethal,’” the Dallas police lawsuit notes.
“They are not. In fact, the fatality, morbidity, and significant risks of injuries from KIPs have been well documented.”
As a result of the use of excessive force by Dallas police, including the use of rubber bullets, Doyle’s cheek was allegedly shattered. Williams claims to have suffered similar brutality at the hands of Dallas police officers. After being hit with rubber bullets, she was allegedly left bleeding and handcuffed in the middle of a bridge for several hours despite suffering from a serious injury.
The plaintiffs argue their experiences were not unique, with many other protesters “severely” injured by the Dallas police force during protests.
The protesters cite the experiences of a young woman who was shot in the forehead while walking home from the grocery store and Brandon Saenz – a 26-year-old who permanently lost his left eye as a result of rubber bullets.
Several reporters and even bystanders have also been subject to significant injuries as a result of rubber bullets, according to the plaintiffs.
According to the police brutality lawsuit against the Dallas police department, the city, police chief Ulysha Renee and various police officers have violated the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments with the excessive use of force against protesters.
The Dallas police brutality lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, statutory damages, punitive damages, court costs, and attorneys’ fees.
The plaintiffs also seek injunctive relief from the court barring the use of excessive force against peaceful protesters. Dallas News reports that, as of June 12, a federal judge has granted this emergency request for injunctive relief and has implemented a ban on tear gas and other less lethal weapons in crowd control efforts. This ban will reportedly continue through Sept. 9.
Several other cities and officials have faced similar lawsuits, arguing that protesters around the country have been subjected to unprovoked police brutality. At the same time, lawmakers in Congress are working to push through legislation that would increase accountability for law enforcement and curb police brutality.
Have you been subject to extreme force by the Dallas police department or other police forces? Share your story in the comment section below.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are represented by Michelle Simpson Tuegel of The Simpson Tuegel Law Firm; Daryl K. Washington of Washington Law Firm PC; Daniel A. Dailey, Tatiauna J. Holland, and Adam Greenfield of Kingdom Litigators Inc.; Morgan A. McPheeters of McPheeters Law PLLC; George Oginni of Leo & Oginni Trial Lawyers PLLC; and Jessica Foster.
The Dallas Police Brutality Lawsuit is Tasia Williams, et al. v. City of Dallas, Texas, et al., Case No. 3:20-cv-01526-G, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
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One thought on Dallas Police Attacked Peaceful Protesters, Lawsuit Says
IN 2014, I WAS A VICTIM OF DALLAS POLICE OFFICERS EXCESSIVE FORCE, RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT AND INJURY TO AN PASSENGER DURING TRANSPORT, THREATENED AND DENIED PROPER MEDICAL ATTENTION. THIS HAPPENED AFTER BEING FOLLOWED FOR ABOUT 3 MILES AND THEN SUDDENLY STOPPED, SUPPOSEDLY FOR FAILURE TO SIGNAL 100 FT BEFORE CHANGING LANES. I WAS LATER TOLD I WAS TAKEN TO JAIL FOR SURCHARGE FINES ISSUED FOR ANOTHER COUNTY IN RED OAK I WAS IN A CELL THAT HAD NOT BEEN CLEANED IN DAYS, BLOODY ITEMS IN WOMENS CELL, STAYED THERE A WEEK WITHOUT ACCESS TO BATHING OR SHOWERING, BECAUSE NOT ENOUGH HELP. LEFT THERE WITH A RASH AND SORES. RED OAK, DESOTO AND CEDARHILL JUDGE (AT THAT TIME) NEVER GAVE YOU TIME SERVED. HE WOULD STILL PUT YOU ON A PAYMENT BPKAN AFTER YOU HAVE CSAT THE TIME OUT, JUST TO PUT YOU ON LAY-A-WAY FOR COMING BACK. I HAVE BEEN ARRESTED ON A CAPIAS I HAVE SAT OUT, MORE THAN THREE TIMES, EVEN WHEN I HAVE STRESSED THE INABILITY TO PAY AND CHOSE TO SIT THEM OUT IN. LIEU, FOR I HAVE A DISABILITY. IT BECAME A RACKETT. IM STLL GOING THROUGH IT NOW.