Posted on 01/22/2005 1:21:27 PM PST by wagglebee
MIAMI (AP) _ A federal judge has set a Monday trial date for the claims of a dozen people who said they were wrongly assaulted by federal officers during the raid that removed Elian Gonzalez from his family's home.
The plaintiffs say they were innocent bystanders who were gassed and beaten outside the home during the early morning raid on April 22, 2000.
U.S. District Judge Michael Moore set the trial date Friday.
"I think the public's going to be surprised that elderly people were gassed while praying the rosary," said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, which represents 11 of the plaintiffs.
The federal government's attorney did not return a message seeking comment Friday.
Elian was one of three survivors of a November 1999 shipwreck that killed his mother and others fleeing Cuba. He was turned over to his Miami relatives while his custody situation was resolved.
The raid took place after government officials said the family refused to return the boy so he could be taken back to his father in Cuba.
I'm not really sure what the big deal was.. these people defyied federal law.. just like the people at Waco did.
I'm not sure why you would defend lawbreakers.
Thanks for the ping!
To some, the very act of praying is an insult. I see you are among them.
Is there nothing that would bring you to protest?
I'm not saying it went perfectly.. what I'm saying is why are you defending law breakers?
We can critize the process without making the family seem like innocent bystanders when they clearly were not.
It's the same with the people at WACO.
I'm having a hard time buying that.
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