FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: media@acludc.org
WASHINGTON — Today, the ACLU of the District of Columbia released a public education memorandum and form letter that individuals with claims against the Metropolitan Police Department arising from Inauguration Day can use to preserve their ability to sue the police under D.C. law for unconstitutional conduct. The document is available here.
On June 21, the ACLU-DC sued the District, its police chief, and numerous officers, on behalf of four individuals whose rights the police violated on Inauguration Day, including through unlawful arrests of individuals peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights, excessive use of pepper-spray, and warrantless and suspicionless manual rectal searches.
"Our investigation gives us reason to believe that unlawful police conduct on Inauguration Day extended beyond our four plaintiffs, and indeed after we filed our case, several additional individuals reached out to us to share their experiences," said Scott Michelman, senior staff attorney with the ACLU-DC, who filed last month's lawsuit. "We hope that by releasing this memo and form letter today, we can help provide all individuals who have experienced police violence the tools and information they need to preserve their rights."
The memo released today points out that for some claims, claimants must notify the D.C. government six months after the date of the incident, making the notification deadline for some claims July 20. The memo also notes that information sent to the D.C. government can be used against claimants in criminal cases, so claimants should check with their individual criminal defense attorneys if applicable.
Learn more about the case, Horse v. D.C., here.