The Washington, DC, chapters of the American Civil Liberties Association, BLM and others brought the suit on behalf of protesters cleared from the area on June 1, 2020, before Trump walked across the square and posed, Bible in hand, in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church.
Last summer, the American Civil Liberties Union sued President Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr on behalf of Black Lives Matter, claiming the administration violated the civil rights of protesters who were removed to enable President Trump to cross Lafayette Park to St. John’s Episcopal Church.
WATCH: NICOLE WALLACE AND THE END OF DEMOCRACY
The 31-page lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, accused Trump, Barr and other federal officials of violating the protesters’ constitutional rights and engaging in an unlawful conspiracy when clearing Lafayette Park days earlier.
YIKES! IS MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE LOSING HER 'GRIP' IN POWER STRUGGLE?
“What happened to our members Monday evening, here in the nation’s capital, was an affront to all our rights,” the lead plaintiff in the case, Black Lives Matter DC core organizer April Goggans, said in a statement. “The death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police officers has reignited the rage, pain and deep sadness our community has suffered for generations. We won’t be silenced by tear gas and rubber bullets.”
WATCH: FETTERMAN CONFRONTED BY A PRO-HAMAS ACTIVIST
US Park Police and other law enforcement officers pushed protesters and journalists away from Lafayette Park ahead of Trump’s Rose Garden appearance. The commander-in-chief then walked to nearby St. John’s Episcopal Church to visit the historic, fire-damaged site.
TESLA IN TURMOIL: MUSK OUSTS TOP EXECS AND PREPARES FOR MASSIVE LAYOFFS, WHAT'S HAPPENING?
“The president’s shameless, unconstitutional, unprovoked and frankly criminal attack on protesters because he disagreed with their views shakes the foundation of our nation’s constitutional order,” ACLU of the District of Columbia legal director Scott Michelman said. “And when the nation’s top law enforcement officer becomes complicit in the tactics of an autocrat, it chills protected speech for all of us.”
PROFESSIONAL "PROTEST CONSULTANT" CAUGHT ON VIDEO STIRRING UP CHAOS AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
“No officer has ever been denied immunity for clearing an area before an appearance by the president,” DOJ attorney John Martin told US District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich Friday.
The demonstrators argue that Trump, Barr and other officials violated their civil rights by ordering the US Park Police to deploy rubber bullets, flash bang grenades and tear gas to clear the area.
PUMP AND DUMP: VIRAL "BOCA BASH" VIDEO SPARKS MAJOR INVESTIGATION
President Biden’s DOJ contends that the measures were necessary.
“Federal officers do not violate First Amendment rights by moving protesters a few blocks, even if the protesters are predominantly peaceful,” Martin said.
At the time, candidate Biden blasted Trump over the incident, issuing a campaign ad accusing him of being “afraid to look too weak” in the face of protests over the police custody murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Discover alternative ideas that will make you think
Engage in mind bending debate
Earn points, rise in rank, have fun
