This litigation was filed by the Partnership for Civil Justice on behalf of demonstrators who were assaulted in a police riot against a permitted anti-war demonstration protesting the occupation of Iraq on April 12, 2003. The lawsuit forced changes in MPD use of motorcycles and bikes as weapons against demonstrators.
This groundbreaking constitutional rights lawsuit charged that local and federal law enforcement violated the U.S. Constitution by singling out people for arrest based on their perceived political ideology, targeting persons the government deemed by their manner of dress to be, or to associate with, anarchists. The MPD gave a secret FBI intelligence unit access to interrogate the protestors on video. The PCJF successfully secured a victorious settlement, including monetary payments to the individuals and changes in police policies.
