LOS ANGELES – Attorneys for demonstrators protesting the in-custody killing of George Floyd in May and June Friday announced a lawsuit against Los Angeles County and the sheriff’s department, alleging deputies subjected protesters to excessive force and civil rights violations.
The proposed class-action suit filed in Los Angeles federal court late Thursday mirrors a similar complaint brought in June on behalf of Black Lives Matter-LA, which alleged the mass detention of more than 2,600 demonstrators in downtown Los Angeles was a violation of their rights under the U.S. and California constitutions.
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman said the department does not comment on pending litigation.
The lawsuit contends that on at least three occasions LASD deputies imposed arbitrary curfews, declared unlawful assemblies without ensuring that their order was heard, subjected peaceful protesters to excessive detention without access to bathrooms or medical care and used “indiscriminate and unreasonable force” against protesters, including batons and/or so-called rubber bullets.
“The consistent, frightening and forceful message that both the LAPD and the LASD have delivered to protesters in recent months is that the constitutional right to peaceably assemble as enshrined in the First Amendment will not stop the law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles County from unleashing rough, indiscriminate violence and dangerous, retaliatory abuses of the powers vested in them,” the suit alleges.
The plaintiffs further allege that law enforcement targeted “people of color, especially Black people.”
The lawsuit seeks to represent two classes of protesters whose rights of free speech and assembly were allegedly violated by the LASD — those who were arrested, and those that were allegedly subjected to the use of excessive force by the use of so-called “less-lethal” weapons, including batons, rubber bullets, pepper balls and tear gas “used indiscriminately against those engaged in peaceful protest.”
According to the suit, LASD acknowledged that the department’s “widespread involvement in the May/June protests resulted in deputies firing a sufficient amount of non-lethal ammunition to warrant a resupply to the Sheriff’s Department.”
The complaint also contends that LASD buses were used to detain protesters “under unconstitutional conditions.”
Demonstrators’ “wrists were bound in zip-tie restraints in a manner tight enough to leave lasting marks and injuries,” according to the filing. “LASD then transported protesters to far-away locations and released them in the middle of the night, while Sheriff (Alex) Villanueva’s own curfew was in effect. While they were detained on the buses, LASD did not provide protesters water or access to bathroom facilities, despite their repeated complaints.”
–
Alby says
Would these useless blm suckers prefer to get destroyed by a mob rule that knows no police tactics? Would they prefer counter-violence and hatred dumped on them without inhibitions. These ignorant fools need the very people they protest against to protect them from more angry and fed up people with ARs and 4x4s and lynch rope. I say lets give them what they want… Exactly what they want and some more until they drown in happiness and never come out of their house or apartment at the only condition that they get sterile. Therefore, they wont have to worry about police violating their rights or worry about fed up 17 year olds with machine guns. They can have their cake and eat it too and feel the racial superiority they so crave untill they dissipate completely and our children can grow up in a better America without grinding their teeth and pulling their hair worrying about any blm bowel movement of any color. Blm is a bowel movent that’s constipating America. They are an insult to the respectable and hard working black community that seek no handouts but only civility as we all go about our daily endeavors. I believe blm needs the police more than ever before and Americans need a higher entity like Buhda or Christ to help suppress their feelings of anger and lust for wrath. All in all, I hope blm gets sued for everything they’ve ruined and the innocent toes they’ve stepped on to say the least.
TRUMP = CRIMINAL says
Tell us Alby, when are the cops going to learn not to kill unarmed black men or shoot them in the back 7 times while holding their sleeve or killing a innocent black woman in her house in her bed?
The fools keep doing it over and over even when they know it will be recorded and they’ll lose their job or go to prison.
Blacks have a good reason to be angry but what’s your excuse for your petty, pathetic little whiny complaints?
Maybe it’s just you, Alby. A little whiner. A constant little whiner. Grow up. You’re not getting a raise in your allowance till you do.
Alby says
I’ll except my due allowance as long as you hear(read) me out. “White people”ect have been shot down by Law for being crappier than a black man with priors on probation with a weapon. Ive been on probation myself that was used against me for something that I needed justice in… Protecting myself on my front yard and my household and belongings behind me. I spent 5 months in the [removed] slammer based off of he said she said. I was the only one in my home doing what any normal human being does on their front yard. They tried to know me the wrong way as opposed to how neighborhood people should know eachother… If you’re trying to know someone in the neighborhood. I dont. I have my own life, I know how to properly meet people when I want leisure in my life outside of home. Nevertheless, I was seen as the provocater even though I dont know them other than they apparently live down the street. Anyone can live down anybody’s street. The point is cops can be screwed up to anybody if the right 911 call is made… Especially by manipulative tweeker wannabe gangsturds. I would have been stupid to insist to the cops that Im right while flailing my arms around acting like an angry victim with their knowledge that I have a firearm on me. “Hands up dont shoot” theory works well when you’re are not using it for [removed] political antifa reasons. You are not alone. There are pieces of [removed] of all races that deserve reproach ect. Now please hear(read) this out, white people tried to hurt or kill white people and got killed by white people all because of BLM. How more unracist could that be. Words and actions are two things. Verbal racism or preferably bias will always exist as long i look different and are uglier than you and think different from you. But why the violence? We need more wordy people of different races or bias to phycologicaly neutralize uneeded actions like violence. What would Jesus do? What would Dave Chappelle and Crew do? Who do we have to voodoo?
Denise says
You said one thing I absolutely agree with…”Lord knows” But may I add “and He cares”
Frustrated says
This is get Ridiculous ppl why is it only black life matter when A police officer oversteps or miss uses their authority to every color of person and a lot of it doesn’t get talked about and yet.. Yeah the cops can go out there and shoot somebody with a mental illness doesn’t matter whether they’re black white brown or [removed] purple people leader nobody does anything so you wanna explain that one
Mike says
Are you saying a person with a mental illness is less of a threat than a sane person? Are you saying that they should be allowed to act violent or present a threat to others because they are ill? What exactly are you saying? The law allows police to use deadly force. Get over it. If people want the cops to quit using deadly force, then stop breaking laws. Stop creating disturbances that cause the police to be called out. Stop disobeying orders. Stop doing things that will get you killed…like reaching into a car when police are trying to arrest you and you have an active warrant for raping a minor. Stop doing drugs and maybe you won’t die when the police try to restrain you after you try to buy something with counterfeit money. Stop illegally selling things like tobacco on street corners and stop fighting the cops who try to arrest you for it. When you get pulled over and the cop tells you to keep your hands on the steering wheel, don’t be reaching all through your pockets or center consoles. Don’t run around town threatening store owners and patrons and then be surprised when you get shot in the street by cops for failing to obey orders to stop acting like a wild crazed animal. If people just started taking more responsibility for their actions, they wouldn’t be killed. Besides, it’s a statistical fact that cops aren’t the number one killer of minorities. Minorities kill their own kind at an alarmingly much higher rate than cops ever have….so why is there no outrage or riots over that?
Agree says
True, nicely said Mike.
Citizens' Rights Watch says
All true, but this doesn’t sound like “Mike” that routinely defends black activism. Is this another “Mike”?
TRUMP = CRIMINAL says
Mike is quite a typer. He typed the following>
“Besides, it’s a statistical fact that cops aren’t the number one killer of minorities.”
Well, Mike. They’re doing the best they can. If they could do more (killing) they would.
NLM says
Pathetic, they wanna be revolutionaries until the second things don’t go exactly their way. I’m sure fidel castro and the Bolsheviks did the exact same thing whining to the same authority they seem to be so against. Screw them let the cops use lethal force for all I care, lord knows that even if the police are defunded the mob will still use their bricks and their lasers and all their shady tactics
Alby says
Im sure plenty of police would take a pay cut as long as they still have the legal authority to make blm pork soup out of these international terrorists. Im also sure that some prosecutors would do the same as long as they have the fun job of chewing their heads off in legal terms.
Alby says
Hell, I would do it for free.