Federal Judge Bars Columbus Police From Using Pepper Spray, Rubber Bullets Against Nonviolent Protesters
A federal judge on Friday ruled that police in Columbus, Ohio, may not use non-lethal force against nonviolent protesters, following a lawsuit that claimed law enforcement used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrators last summer, including by deploying rubber bullets, wooden pellets, and pepper spray.
In an 88-page opinion obtained by The Epoch Times, Chief Judge Algenon L. Marbley of the Southern District of Ohio ruled in favor of a preliminary injunction, prohibiting Columbus police from using non-lethal measures like flash-bang grenades and batons against nonviolent protesters, while limiting enforcement of dispersal orders through citations or arrests, based on probable cause that a violation had been committed.
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Judge orders Columbus police to alter tactics for protests
by Andrew Welsh-Huggins, The Associated Press
Posted Apr 30, 2021 1:45 pm EDT
Last Updated Apr 30, 2021 at 1:58 pm EDT
FILE - In this May 29, 2020 file photo, police officers stand together, as people protest in downtown Columbus, Ohio, over the death of George Floyd in police custody Monday in Minneapolis. A federal judge on Friday, April 30, 2021, has ordered police in Ohio s capital city to stop using nonlethal force such as tear gas on nonviolent protesters who aren t harming people or destroying property. The judge s order came after lawyers sued Columbus last year on behalf of more than two dozen people who alleged they were injured in clashes with police in late May and early June. (Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)
Judge orders Columbus police to alter tactics for responding to demonstrations against racial injustice and police brutality courant.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from courant.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The preliminary injunction was granted Friday as part of a federal lawsuit filed last summer. Author: 10TV Web Staff Updated: 11:13 PM EDT April 30, 2021
COLUMBUS, Ohio A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction Friday against Columbus police, ordering them to stop using many ways of non-lethal force against nonviolent protesters.
The ruling comes from a federal lawsuit filed by protesters last summer against the city and the Columbus Division of Police alleging that they were injured by officers’ use of excessive force during protests.
In Friday s ruling, the judge wrote Columbus police are ordered to stop using tear gas, pepper spray, flash-bang grenades, rubber bullets, wooden pellets, batons, body slams, pushing or pulling, or kettling on nonviolent protesters to disperse them including to clear streets or sidewalks.