WHYY
By
Hadriana Lowenkron January 27, 2021
Protesters march from the scene of Walter Wallace Jr.’s killing to Malcolm X Park in October 2020. (Emma Lee/WHYY)
A Philadelphia historian and legal observer has filed a lawsuit alleging instances of police brutality during protests following the deadly shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. by city police in October.
The suit, filed Jan. 21, seeks punitive and compensatory damages, and is the latest in a slew of police brutality cases brought against the Philadelphia Police Department and the City of Philadelphia in the aftermath of a summer and fall marked by unrest.
Historian Anne Berg, alongside fellow plaintiffs Catherine Heite and Bridget Biddle, claim they were physically assaulted and mistreated by PPD officers while attending demonstrations that took place on Oct. 26 and 27, 2020 following the killing of Wallace, a West Philadelphia man who was experiencing a mental health crisis when he was shot by an officer.