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A federal judge has dismissed the majority of lawsuits brought by activists and civil liberties groups who accused the Trump administration of violating the civil rights of protesters who had been forcibly expelled by police with chemical agents from a park near the White House before that time – President Donald Trump walked to a nearby church for a photo.
US District Judge Dabney Friedrich said on Monday that allegations in the lawsuit, which alleged that Trump and then Attorney General William Barr conspired to violate protesters’ rights last June, were pure speculation and that it was too early for the court to conclude whether the actions of law enforcement officers were justified. .
Friedrich dismissed the allegations against Barr and other federal officials, including the acting Park Police Chief, Gregory Monahan, and found that there was insufficient evidence to show that there was any agreement or plan to violate the protesters’ rights. The judge also said that the law gives them immunity from civil litigation.
In a 51-page decision, the judge allowed the claims against the Metropolitan Police Department and the Arlington Police Department — whose officers were involved in clearing the park — to proceed.
The lawsuit arose from one of the most famous moments of the Trump presidency, when federal and local law enforcement officials forcefully forced a group of largely peaceful protesters back from Lafayette Square outside the White House, firing smoke bombs and pepper balls into a crowd to disperse the group. Officers were seen pushing protesters and journalists pushing the crowd back.
Barr said he met with other law enforcement officials earlier that day to review a plan to expand the security perimeter around the White House to protect federal agents after days of turmoil in Washington following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis. .
After forcibly dispersing the crowd, Trump, followed by an entourage of top aides—including Barr—along with Secret Service agents and reporters, marched to St. John’s Church, the historic building where every president prayed, which had been damaged the day before in a protest fire. .
The suit was filed on behalf of the DC Black Lives Matter group and individual protesters who were present by the DCLU, the Washington Bar Committee on Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights by Law and the law firm of Arnold. & porter.
In a statement, Arthur Ago, director of the Criminal Justice Project at the Lawyers Commission for Civil Rights Under Law, said the ruling sets a “very dangerous precedent” and that former officials like Barr “were with impunity”.
“We will always stand up for the rights of those peacefully demonstrating for racial justice, and this ruling sends the wrong message to police accountability efforts at a time when it is most needed,” Ago said.
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