ACLU Sues Trump Admin Over Lafayette Park Abuses

Buzzfeed News reports:

The DC chapter of the Black Lives Matter movement filed a lawsuit on Thursday accusing federal law enforcement officers of violating the constitutional rights of peaceful demonstrators who were forcibly cleared from a park north of the White House so President Donald Trump could walk through for a photo op earlier this week.

The lawsuit accused officers of attacking the demonstrators without warning and using excessive force — including deploying incendiary devices known as flashbangs, tear gas, smoke canisters, pepper balls, and rubber bullets.

They are being represented by the DC ACLU and the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. One of the plaintiffs heard an officer make an announcement over a megaphone about the city’s 7 p.m. curfew and “simultaneously” heard explosions, according to the lawsuit.

BREAKING: Together with @WashLaw4CR @LawyersComm, @ACLU-DC is taking Trump to court for firing tear gas on protesters outside the @WhiteHouse. We represent @DMVBlackLives & 5 individuals. https://t.co/vnPNKGXy63

— ACLU of DC (@ACLU_DC) June 4, 2020