Capitol Police Officers File Civil Rights Lawsuit to Maintain Trump, Militant Teams Accountable for Jan. 6 Capitol Assault – YubaNet

The lawsuit includes Donald J. Trump in his personal capacity, the Trump Campaign, Roger Stone, the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers and Stop the Steal as defendants, as well as other individuals and members of the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and the Three Percentage. The litigation, Smith et. al. v. Trumpet. al. was filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

“As this lawsuit makes clear, the January 6 uprising was not just an attack on individuals, it was an attack on democracy itself. It was a blatant attempt to stifle the voices and votes of millions of Americans, especially black voters.” said Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “Months after the 2020 election was officially proclaimed, former President Trump and his staff made coordinated and systematic attempts to advance their false claims of electoral fraud targeting large cities with significant populations of black voters. The lies of this conspiracy have deliberately energized white racists and violent extremist groups and actively encouraged them to coordinate the violent attack on the Capitol. These actions put our customers in danger of defending the voices and voices that the conspiracy was supposed to silence. “

The seven plaintiffs together have served for more than 150 years protecting Congress so that it can safely and openly discharge its constitutional duties. On January 6th, they suffered hours of hand-to-hand combat while attackers spat on them, poisoned them with tear gas, injected them with bear injections, beat them, tackled them, and hurled racist slurs and surnames at them. These brave officers risked their lives that day to protect and defend our democracy, and they paid a heavy price. The plaintiffs and many of their colleagues suffered significant physical, psychological and emotional injuries that continue to this day.

The seven plaintiffs share this joint statement: “We joined the Capitol Police to uphold the law and protect the Capitol community. On January 6th, we tried to stop people from breaking the law and destroying our democracy. Since then, our jobs and those of our colleagues have become infinitely more dangerous. We want to do our best to ensure that the people who did this are held accountable and that no one can do it again. “

The defendants, meanwhile, continue to glorify the attack and minimize the damage they have caused, not just to plaintiffs and other officials, but to the entire country. However, the lawsuit alleges that Trump and the other defendants spread false, inherently racist claims about election fraud and other lies in order to create a conspiracy that would culminate in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. They threatened and encouraged violence against political opponents, election officials and members of Congress. And they directed thousands of angry Trump supporters to march to the Capitol and fight. The result was a violent attempt to undermine the will of the electorate and to deprive the American people of the right to vote.

The defendants’ actions violated two provisions of the state’s Ku Klux Klan Act, which prohibits conspiracies to use force, intimidation and threats to prevent or injure federal officials in their jobs. Their actions also amounted to politically motivated acts of domestic terrorism and incitement to rioting in violation of the District of Columbia Bias-Related Crimes Act. The defendants also assisted in assaults and assaults on Capitol Police officers in violation of DC law.

Read the lawsuit here.

Through the Civil Rights Lawyers’ Committee under the law – The Lawyers ‘Committee on Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, was established in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the Private Bar in providing legal services to combat racial discrimination. The main role of the Civil Rights Advocate Committee under the law is to ensure equal justice for all through the rule of law, particularly in the areas of suffrage, criminal justice, equitable housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities and hate crimes. More information is available at https://lawyerscommittee.org.