Walker’s Cops Lose Case, Face Civil Suit
Now that he’s off the hook for what appear to be trumped up charges against him, Damon Terrell will be pursuing a civil rights action against the police officers involved with his arrest and the Capitol Police department itself. Part of that lawsuit will likely involve a request for an injunction against any further arrests for singing – or reporting on singing – in the Capitol.
Videos of Terrell’s violent arrest have generated widespread public outrage and an outpouring of support for the Solidarity Sing Along from across the state. Former state banking commissioner Bill Dixon said, “This is merely one of dozens (of arrests) where dozens of videos and witness statements support charges that the Capitol Police engage, with regularity, in breaking the law, and perjuring themselves in their statements--with the support and, likely, encouragement of Walker, his staff, and the hierarchy of the Department of Administration.” He added, “It is long past time for some public official to call out, and stop, this out of control force which far too often acts like they are at a lunch counter, bus terminal, or the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma in the 1960s.”
Between July 24, 2013, and September 6, 2013, a total of 186 people have been arrested in the Capitol and issued a total of 350 citations. Many of those people have attended their initial court appearances, registered a plea of not guilty or they stood mute, and requested jury trials.
Sixteen criminal charges – including criminal resisting arrest, obstructing, battery of a police officer and criminal trespassing of a dwelling – have been leveled against a dozen or so people, including The Progressive Senior Editor Matt Rothschild. District Attorney Ozanne has declined to prosecute Rothschild and most of the rest of them.
http://progressive.org/walker-cops-lose-case
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