$2 million in lawsuits filed alleging police misconduct at RNC

March 3, 2009 @ 12:21AM

$2 million in lawsuits filed alleging police misconduct at RNC

By Carlos Miller -...

Jason Johnson is tackled and tasered by several police officers on Sept. 2, 2008 in downtown St. Paul. Johnson is suing the city of St. Paul for $1 million, alleging excessive and unreasonable force was used on him when he was detained. (source: Minnesota Daily)

It was only a matter of time before civil suits would be filed against Minnesota police for its overly aggressive and unconstitutional tactics during the 2008 Republican National Convention.

Several lawsuits were filed last week, according to the Minnesota Daily. I’m betting there will be more to come.

The suits, the first major action since the September convention, request damages ranging from $100,000 to $1 million, and name Ramsey County and its sheriff’s department, St. Paul and its police and Minneapolis and its police as defendants.

For example, a University of Minnesota employee alleges that she was singled out by law enforcement officers and strip-searched in front of men. Others claim unlawful suppression of both individuals and independent media.

One of the plaintiffs is Wendy Binion, an independent journalist who was arrested on felony rioting charges and had her video camera confiscated. Her charges were eventually dropped but when police returned her camera several weeks later, it was damaged.

Comments

Anonymous

2 years ago

Carlos,

There will be plenty of these from Denver and the 2008 DNC as well. Equal coverage ok.

Anonymous

2 years ago

This is from a related article “The suit states Johnson required medical attention for seven separate Taser wounds and was bloodied during “the battery.” He also reportedly suffered “severe emotional distress” and requires “continuing medical care for the trauma of the unlawful tasering .”

Got to have the severe emotional distress that requires continuing medical care for the trauma or you wouldn’t be able to ask for the big bucks.

Seriously, how can this guy look himself in the mirror, no matter how much money your trying to make how could make yourself look like such a puss.

Anonymous

2 years ago

Duane,

I’ve never failed to cover the unconstitutional acts during the DNC. There was just much more during the RNC.

Anonymous

2 years ago

There were also assaults against delegates of the RNC by the protesters, such as throwing urine at them as they entered and exited the convention. The whole situation was ugly from the beginning with both sides, the protesters and the police, crossing way beyond the line.

Anonymous

2 years ago

One of the unfortunate problems is considering it one side vs the other. Protesters vs police.

In reality it’s Violent protesters vs police which then ends up being police vs non violent protesters.

Anonymous

2 years ago

The point of these lawsuits is not to make money but to change attitudes and the way the police deal with the public. The police are given a license to kill and because of that their training must be as professional as possible. This kind of strong arfm tactics used when there is no violence from the party being arrested is not only inappropriate it is also illegal and extremely unprofessional.

Anonymous

2 years ago

IF we don’t fight back, and demand our Constitutional rights, we will lose our nation.
It becomes more and more evident that we are now a “police state”, and as citizens beg the government for assistance as our nation goes more and more bankrupt, we will be beaten by the police, to maintain civil order, then sent to detention camps for retraining. Seems this has happened in history before, but our children are not taught about the past, so they do not know the future if we continue to allow our rights to be trampled on. Don Cordell as your President would restore our rights, and make you proud to be called an American again.