Associated Press / G. Stephen Bierman, Jr.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Protesters claiming the city and federal law enforcement officers violated their rights during demonstrations this spring against international financial institutions filed a suit Thursday seeking monetary damages.
The lawsuit, announced by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the protest groups, also alleges that the protesters were harassed and intimidated, and seeks court orders prohibiting law enforcement officials from interfering with future protests.
"These efforts around the country to prevent protesters from bringing their messages to their intended audiences are very troubling," said Mara Verheyden-Hilliard of the Partnership for Civil Justice.
The suit comes just before the national political conventions in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, where demonstrations are expected, and where civil liberties groups have already filed suits claiming that federal officials are unconstitutionally preventing them from demonstrating near the convention sites.
The ACLU said District of Columbia police officers used excessive force against nonviolent protesters and made hundreds of arrests without cause. Law enforcement officers made more than 1,300 arrests during the demonstrations in late April, most when demonstrators turned in themselves to show their commitment to their cause.
Deputy Police Chief Terry Gainer said, "Our goal was that the IMF meetings would take place, the destruction to the city would be minimal, the criminal activity would not be tolerated, and the protesters would be allowed to vent. I think our officers responded admirably under very difficult circumstances."
Mayor Anthony Williams said his police force did not overreact during the demonstrations in Washington.
"I think they were assertive in the right way. But I think that they managed the thing very, very effectively," Williams said during a call-in show on WTOP radio.:
