The death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died at the hands of four police officers, led to nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism. Among the cities that protested was Minnesota’s very own Minneapolis, where Floyd was stripped of his last breath. Amid the demonstrations, both violent and peaceful, Minneapolis PD officers fired off rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse crowds and settle unrest.
Now, according to a new class-action lawsuit, the city of Minneapolis is being sued for violating the First Amendment rights of peaceful protestors and reporters. Annette Williams, a demonstrator in Minneapolis, is suing the city on behalf of all other peaceful protesters like herself. William claims that police officers sprayed her with a chemical irritant ‘as retaliation’ for opposing police tactics in the arrest and killing of George Floyd, according to TMZ.
Williams states in the lawsuit that she was peacefully protesting on a public sidewalk with her daughter on May 28 when Minneapolis police officers drove past and sprayed a crowd of people. She claims that no one in the crowds presented any danger to the police.
Williams mentioned that the police officers’ actions caused Williams and other peaceful protestors to remove their face masks worn because of the coronavirus, as they started relentlessly coughing. Since the incident, Williams states she ‘suffered from labored breathing and chest pain interfering with her daily activities.’ The event left protestors feeling fearful in exerting their first amendment rights to free speech and to peacefully assemble, Williams added.
In the lawsuit, Williams also mentioned the arrest of CNN news reporter Omar Jimenez, who was reporting live on air when he was detained by cops. Williams claims the arrest emphasizes “the city and police force’s open infringement on first amendment rights.”
Williams is asking for compensation from the city of Minneapolis and wants an order that will prohibit police officers from being able to use these current tactics against peaceful protestors.
