Lawsuit accuses Chicago police of civil rights violations in Might arrest of ladies exterior Brickyard Mall

CHICAGO – A black woman who was pulled by the hair, hit the floor and pinned to the neck by Chicago police after the murder of George Floyd filed a federal lawsuit against the city and police on Wednesday.

Lawyers filed lawsuits on behalf of Tnika Tate, Mia Wright, and others who allege they were victims of police brutality by officials responding to looted Brickyard Mall on Chicago’s Northwest Side on May 31.

Just days after Minneapolis police killed George Floyd, which led to racial unrest, riot, and looting across the country, Wright and her cousins ​​said they drove through the mall parking lot as a group of nearly a dozen Chicago police officers she attacked.

“We were women and we were viciously attacked by the Chicago Police Department,” said Tate.

The video, recorded by a viewer, shows police pulling Mia Wright’s hair out of the car and slamming her on the sidewalk.

“I saw Tnika and Mia being pulled out of the car. The way the police acted was scary, ”said witness Mary Shapiro.

Perhaps most troubling, proponents say, is an officer kneeling on Wright’s neck.

“You put your knee on your neck like George Floyd. After George Floyd. That said, it was deliberate and hateful, ”said Crista Noel, Women’s All Points Bulletin.

The police hit the car with batons. Meanwhile, Wright said broken glass got into her eye and partially blinded her.

Her attorney said illness caused Wright to lose her voice and so she didn’t speak to reporters on Wednesday, but Tate said the incident was still traumatic.

“We still wake up with nightmares. Just my cousin, she goes through so many different things. She is blind in one eye. It’s very, very difficult, ”said Tate.

The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, alleges violations of constitutional and state law such as false arrest, assault and battery.

“We will seek serious compensation and punitive damages if the case goes far enough,” said lawyer Nenye Uche.

Wright went to school to become a medic and was initially charged with disorderly conduct, but the prosecution dropped those charges in September.

The case is still under investigation by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.

The city’s legal department did not immediately respond to WGN’s request for comment.

Close modally

Suggest a correction

Suggest a correction