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August 28, 2014 9:07 pm - NewsBehavingBadly.com

People caught up in Ferguson Missouri’s unrest after the killing of Michael Brown are suing the police for alleged civil rights violations. The suit claims citizens were treated “as if they were war combatants.”

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The lawsuit seeks a total of $40 million on behalf of six plaintiffs, including a 17-year-old boy who was with his mother in a fast-food restaurant when they were arrested. Each of the plaintiffs was caught up in interactions with police over a period from Aug. 11 to 13, the suit allege.

Named as defendants are the city of Ferguson, St. Louis County, Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Delmar, Ferguson police officer Justin Cosmo, and other unnamed police officers from Ferguson and St. Louis County…

One of the plaintiffs alleges she and her son were in a McDonald’s restaurant when several police officers with rifles ordered them out. According to the suit, an officer threw her to the ground and handcuffed her, with she and her son both arrested.

Another plaintiff alleges he was trying to visit his mother in Ferguson when several police officers in military uniforms in her neighborhood shot him with rubber bullets. When he fell over, he was beaten and sprayed with pepper spray, the lawsuit says.

Two other plaintiffs say they were peacefully protesting when officers in riot gear fired on them with tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades. A separate plaintiff says he was trying to record footage of the protests when police took his camera and arrested him.

“This is a blatant example of how police handle African-Americans … how it can go terribly, terribly wrong. You have a right to peaceful assembly,” said attorney Reginald Greene who brought the case.[su_sky_ad]

 

D.B. Hirsch
D.B. Hirsch is a political activist, news junkie, and retired ad copy writer and spin doctor. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

5 responses to Missouri Police Sued For $40 Million Over Ferguson Protests

  1. KB723 August 28th, 2014 at 9:17 pm

    The suit claims citizens were treated “as if they were war combatants.”

    To the best of my recollection, nothing has changed since October 17th 2006….

    http://youtu.be/jKVAB-L2JOw

  2. Shadowolf1964 August 28th, 2014 at 9:19 pm

    …gonna be billions paid to familys of the murder victims…they deserve it…

    • whatthe46 August 28th, 2014 at 11:31 pm

      every last penny.

  3. mea_mark August 29th, 2014 at 4:08 pm

    The City of Ferguson will probably go bankrupt and have to start over, hopefully with new leaders. St. Louis county will take a hit and certainly have to rethink how it handles things. Glad to see a financial cost to the poor decisions that were made. That seems to be what these people seem to understand most.

  4. NYPD current being held culpable for two homicides… | Holes in the Foam September 1st, 2014 at 1:00 am

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