A federal judge ordered police in Columbus, Ohio, to halt using force, including tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets, against nonviolent protesters, saying law enforcement officers ran "amok" during demonstrations over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Judge Algenon Marbley of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio granted the motion for a preliminary injunction by the 26 plaintiffs who protested last summer, ruling that "unfortunately, some of the members of the Columbus Police Department had no regard for the rights secured by this bedrock principle of American democracy" and adding that Columbus police used force "indiscriminately" and without provocation amid widespread protests last May and June. The plaintiffs sought declaratory and injunctive relief, compensatory damages for injuries, punitive damages from department defendants, and attorneys’ fees, arguing their First and Fourth Amendment rights were infringed.
The lawsuit also accused CPD of collective punishment. In one instance, police responded to a single protester who threw a water bottle by indiscriminately pepper-spraying or tear-gassing an entire group, Marbley added, saying police sometimes failed to give audible or adequate time to disperse before resorting to non-lethal force.
"Multiple witnesses testified to their physical and emotional injuries suffered at the hands of CPD officers while exercising their fundamental rights to assemble and protest" last summer, the judge wrote.
The injunction says Columbus officers are banned from using methods of "non-lethal force" against nonviolent protesters, including those who are chanting, occupying streets, or verbally confronting officers. Those methods include barring the use of flash-bang grenades, rubber bullets, batons, and shoving.
We saw last summer some of the local governments were actually telling, not necessarily in Florida but throughout the country, basically telling these folks to stand, telling police to stand down while cities burned, while businesses were burned, while people were being harmed," DeSantis said before signing the bill. "That’s a dereliction of duty.".....snip~
Judge restricts Columbus police's use of force on nonviolent protesters | Washington Examiner
I noticed the Judge didnt say anything about Peaceful Rioters standing in the same group of allegedly Peaceful Protestors. Which was caught on camera all throughout last year.
"In other words, there was no time for protesters to react," Marbley said.