DENVER – The ACLU of Colorado and Arnold & Porter filed a lawsuit 今天，代表“黑人的命也是命5280”(BLM 5280)和在5月底和6月初抗议警察暴力时被警察打伤的个人原告，起诉丹佛市和县. 这起诉讼挑战了警方对非暴力抗议者使用催泪瓦斯和“不那么致命”的武器的做法，这些抗议者抗议执法部门杀害黑人男子和妇女. 警察对抗议者根据第一和第四修正案享有的权利的无理侵犯造成了身体和精神上的伤害. Denver police also violated their own internal use of force policies 当他们不顾一切地向人群发射危险的炮弹时, with little regard for safety, life, or the law. In doing so, 警察不仅没有使城市更安全，反而进一步扩大了社区与警察之间的不信任鸿沟.
“The City’s actions, while unconstitutional in any context, 是否因为专门针对集会抗议警察暴行的和平示威者使用这种危险的过度武力而更加有害, 尤其是针对黑人和棕色人种的执法暴力,” said ACLU of Colorado Legal Director Mark Silverstein. “The police had no legitimate basis to assault peaceful protesters. We intend to hold law enforcement fully accountable, 不仅是一线警官，还有那些负责命令或允许执法部门实施这些公然和普遍侵犯宪法权利行为的高层.”
Arnold & Porter partner Timothy Macdonald, who heads the firm’s Denver office, 他解释说，“这起诉讼要求纽约市及其警察部门停止对行使第一修正案规定的集会权利的和平抗议者滥用和非法武力, speak, and petition their government for a redress of grievances. The actions of the Denver police were outrageous, 特别是攻击那些寻求确认“黑人的命也重要”原则的和平抗议者.”
The death of George Floyd, 一名46岁的黑人男子被明尼阿波利斯白人警察杀害, ignited a wave of protests across the country, including in Colorado. During the first several days of protests, Denver law enforcement officers, 得到了科罗拉多州巡逻队和其他十几家执法机构的协助, attacked peaceful demonstrators with tear gas, pepper ball guns, rubber and foam bullets and flash bang grenades, without provocation, often causing serious physical injuries. Even as protesters knelt and chanted, “Hands up, don’t shoot,” police released tear gas and pepper bullets. While the police refer to their weapons as “less-lethal,” a 2017 study 研究发现，全世界被弹丸击中的人中有3%死亡，15%的人受到永久性伤害.
In addition to BLM 5280, ACLU clients include Dr. Apryl Alexander, 他是丹佛大学的临床和法医心理学家兼教授, and a leader of BLM 5280. During the first day of protest on May 28, Dr. 亚历山大目睹了警察在没有任何警告的情况下向抗议者发射催泪瓦斯. A few hours later, she found herself trapped between two clouds of gas, coughing, eyes and throat burning and disoriented. A day and a half later her face continued to burn. The police attack forced her to leave the demonstration, cutting short her ability to exercise her First Amendment rights.
“Coloradans civilly protested to mourn the loss of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony McDade, Elijah McClain, 德冯·贝利和其他许多人向警察施暴，结果却遭到催泪瓦斯的过度武力, pepper balls, and rubber bullets,” Dr. Alexander said. “In both circumstances, 我们正在寻求对这些形式的侵略和暴力策略的问责. 这些化学武器和物理武器被随意地部署到抗议者身上, journalists and medical professionals should never happen again.”
该诉讼旨在让丹佛执法部门对其行为以及协助丹佛警方的其他执法机构的行为负责. 诉状要求法院下令禁止丹佛执法部门对和平抗议者使用催泪瓦斯和所谓的“不那么致命”的武器. 该诉讼还代表BLM 5280和个人原告要求赔偿违反宪法权利的损害赔偿, including Dr. Alexander and:
- Elisabeth Epps: gassed, 多次被射伤，伤痕累累其中一枚打中了她的脸, 打碎了她戴的医用级塑料口罩，伤了她的脸.
- Ashlee Wedgeworth: gassed, suffered pain and difficulty breathing, as well as burning in her eyes, nose, and face hours after being attacked. 她仍然担心，如果她将来行使抗议权利，会被毒气或炮弹击中.
- Amanda Blasingame和Maya Rothlein:当她们坐在家门口的台阶上时，特警直接向她们家发射胡椒球子弹. 胡椒弹击中了前门，甚至进入了公寓大楼. 一名警察也走到她们面前，威胁要给她们喷胡椒喷雾，并直直地盯着她. 罗斯林，前院唯一的黑人，当他发出威胁时. Ms. Rothlein, who is Black and transgender, felt targeted and has become sensitive to loud noises and sirens.
- 扎克·帕卡德:头部被弹丸击中，并立即昏迷. Mr. 帕卡德颅骨和下颚骨折，两个椎间盘骨折，脑部出血. Mr. Packard remained at the hospital for about one week. 医生给他开了抗癫痫药物、肌肉松弛剂和羟考酮. Mr. 帕卡德目前必须戴着颈托，而且非常疼痛.
- Hollis Lyman: was gassed, 她被胡椒球击中，手臂受伤，手榴弹导致她暂时失聪. Since her experiences protesting, Ms. Lyman has had difficulty sleeping and has remained anxious.
- Cidney Fisk: gassed and disoriented, Ms. 当菲斯克回到家，不得不使用喷雾器时，她一直在颤抖和哭泣. After her experiences at the protests, Ms. Fisk was unable to get out of bed for two days. 自抗议活动以来，她一直做噩梦，仍然害怕警察.
- 斯坦福·史密斯:鼓励其他抗议者保持和平，但一名警察在没有任何警告的情况下直接向他脸上喷胡椒喷雾. Mr. 史密斯担心他的生命，看不见，感觉他的脸好像着火了. 他的脸红了好几天，最后他的皮肤脱落了.
这起诉讼是由马克·西尔弗斯坦(Mark Silverstein)的利记sbobet州法律团队在丹佛联邦地区法院提起的, 萨拉·尼尔和阿里尔·赫茨伯格以及sbobet篮球合作律师蒂莫西·R. Macdonald, Matthew J. Douglas, Ed Aro, R. Reeves Anderson, Colin M. O’Brien, Kathleen K. Custer, and Anya A. Havriliak of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, LLP.
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The ACLU of Colorado is the state’s oldest civil rights organization, 通过诉讼保护和捍卫所有科罗拉多人的公民权利, education and advocacy.