WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th June, 2020) A group of protesters filed a lawsuit against the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, over allegations local police used excessive force against demonstrators earlier this month, a court document revealed on Monday.
The class-action lawsuit was filed by a group of protesters who took part in a demonstration against racial injustice in the East Liberty neighborhood in Pittsburgh on June 1.
"Plaintiffs allege that the Defendants' conduct violated their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and assembly, their Fourth Amendment rights to be free from excessive force and false arrest and their Fourteenth Amendment right not to be subject to official governmental policies which violate their constitutional rights," the document said.
The lawsuit claims the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police deployed hundreds of officers to counter the 150 individuals participating in the demonstration. Moreover, the complaint claims officers attacked peaceful protesters with explosives, chemical agents and ammunition that is known to "seriously wound and sometimes kill its targets."
The document said officers blocked peaceful protesters from leaving the area and then arrested several of them for failing to disperse.
The protesters also accuse city officials of falsely saying the demonstration was violent and that officers were attacked, the document added.
The lawsuit requests the court order the Pittsburgh Police Department to refrain from using excessive force on peaceful demonstrators or only when there is an imminent threat to public safety. Protesters also seek relief for damages and attorneys' fees, including a penalty fine against the city.
