A federal court judge has dismissed the City of Detroit’s countersuit against anti-police brutality protesters. A civil rights lawsuit against the City will continue.
In Detroit last summer, several protesters and observers were injured by police during peaceful demonstrations. That led to a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City by multiple members of the anti-police brutality group ‘Detroit Will Breathe.’ A judge issued a restraining order afterwards, baring city police from using chokeholds and rubber bullets against the movement. Attorneys for the City followed that decision with its own lawsuit, saying the collective engaged in a “civil conspiracy.”
Nakia Wallace is one of the group’s leaders. She says the judge’s dismissal – and the actions by the City – are not a surprise.
“We knew from the beginning that the counterclaim was nothing but you know the continuation of a political witch hunt against us from the city,” said Wallace.
As city prosecutors failed to provide certain evidence in court… judges began dismissing cases and hundreds of protesters had their charges dismissed. Only a handful of cases remain.