Protest Injury

Civil Rights Attorneys

Fighting for justice is at the heart of what we are as a law firm; it is what we stand for; it is what we believe in our hearts; it is what led so many of us to become lawyers and to join this firm. We fight to hold those who violate the rights of others accountable for their actions, force policy changes and deter unlawful conduct.

The right to free speech, the right to free assembly, the right to be free from unlawful arrest, and the right to be free from excessive force, are fundamental rights protected by our Constitution. Police officers are meant to serve and protect these rights and freedoms. While many police officers are good at their jobs and uphold the peace, some law enforcement officials abuse their position of trust and power, and behave in ways that are inappropriate, illegal, and harmful.

Police Protester Abuse

When a police officer violates his duty to a citizen, it isn’t just the victim who is hurt. Society as a whole suffers. This is why of civil rights violators must be held accountable, whether they wear a badge or not — to discourage future such incidents from occurring.

All across the country people who have been lawfully exercising their rights to peacefully protest, have been met with disproportionate police reactions that include unlawful arrests and indiscriminately attacking crowds with tear gas, rubber bullets, and other projectiles that have caused serious injuries. This is no different in Ohio, where police have clashed with protesters in every major city including Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati.

Types of Unlawful Conduct

• Wrongful Arrest
• Wrongful Prosecution/Retaliatory Prosecution
• Unlawful Use of Force/Excessive Force: Officers have doused crowds with pepper spray, struck protesters with batons, steered police cars into crowds, shoved demonstrators, shot protesters in the face with rubber bullets.
• Unlawful Intimidation: Directing threatening/abusive language at protesters and journalists, pointing weapons at protesters. These tactics, along with using force and arresting protesters are used to unlawfully intimidate individuals and discourage them from demonstrating.
• Failure to Train: Duty to train their law enforcement on how to properly police protests.
• Failure to Supervise: Duty to supervise that proper policing is being used and that corrective action/discipline is taken.
• Failure to Protect/Maintain Order: Failure of police to maintain order between protesters/counter-protesters.