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California protesters win pepper spray lawsuit
Yahoo News/AP ^ | 04/29/05 | Justin M. Noton

Posted on 04/29/2005 1:47:41 PM PDT by Sterm26

SAN FRANCISCO - Law enforcement officers from two northern California counties were found liable Thursday for using excessive force by swabbing pepper spray in the eyes of logging protesters in 1997. A jury awarded eight plaintiffs $1 each.

It was the third trial in the case; the first two ended in deadlocked juries in 1998 and 2004.

The plaintiffs laughed and hugged outside the courtroom — and applauded when jurors left their chambers.

"They did the right thing," said Terri Slanetz, a 42-year-old naturalist from Oakland. "We've been trying all along to get a statement that this was illegal. It's a positive step toward people treating each other decently."

The protesters claim their civil rights were violated when Humboldt County sheriff's deputies and Eureka police officers swabbed pepper spray directly in their eyes during the 1997 protest.

The protesters argued the pepper spray was used to illegally punish and intimidate them for chaining themselves together and making it difficult for authorities to arrest them.

Attorneys said the verdict would prevent the use of pepper spray on nonviolent protesters.

"The plaintiffs were never in it for the money. They were in it for the principle," attorney Tony Serra said.

The defendants in the case were Humboldt County, the city of Eureka, retired county Sheriff Dennis Lewis and current Sheriff Gary Philp, who was chief deputy sheriff at the time of the protest.

"It's nice to have someone come in with some kind of resolution of the case," Philp said. "The nominal damages show that the jury thought no one got hurt."

The protests took place at the Eureka office of then-Rep. Frank Riggs, and at the Scotia headquarters of the Pacific Lumber Co.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: lawsuit; pepperspray; protester
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To: Spok

Starting fires after Schwarzenneger won..Oh that`s right, there`s no evidence of that. Uhh..Yeah ok. It must have all been a coincidence.


21 posted on 04/29/2005 2:08:05 PM PDT by Imaverygooddriver (ALL YOU BASE ARE BELONG TO US)
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To: Sterm26
"I'll send them the $8 myself and give them (the cops) a pat on the back for their restraint."

I have no love for these protesters or their position but I find the cops' actions absolutely unjustifiable. They dishonor any LEO who wears a badge.

22 posted on 04/29/2005 2:10:56 PM PDT by muir_redwoods (Free Sirhan Sirhan, after all, the bastard who killed Mary Jo Kopeckne is walking around free)
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To: muir_redwoods
And can you give some reasons why you think the actions were not justified?

I think the LEOs had perfect escalation of force for subjects that were chained up and causing a disturbance.

1. Presence
2. Verbal Commands
3. Light physical force
4. Pepper spray

What would you have done?

As a former LEO, I think these officers performed well.
23 posted on 04/29/2005 2:20:28 PM PDT by not5150
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To: not5150
Putting a chemical agent into the eyes of restrained detainees is chemical torture for no other purpose than to cause discomfort. They were restrained and no further risk could be expected from them. I somehow don't like the idea of chemical torture being used by the police in this country against Americans and neither did the jury.

I think this is a case where there should be more former LEO's

24 posted on 04/29/2005 2:27:08 PM PDT by muir_redwoods (Free Sirhan Sirhan, after all, the bastard who killed Mary Jo Kopeckne is walking around free)
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To: muir_redwoods

Ok... let's say a group of people walk into your house and chains themselves to a fridge.

Should the police wait around and do nothing?

This was a civil trial, the jury found damages for $1, which means that they didn't think the actions needed a large monetary settlement. They believed the police were slightly overagressive, and that it was not torture. Hence the $1 award.

A million dollar award would have been different.


25 posted on 04/29/2005 2:46:33 PM PDT by not5150
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To: not5150
As a former leo I would assume you would know the difference between the inside of a person's home and areas open to normal commerce even if they are on private property. You expect a whole lot more privacy in your home than you do in your yard.

For that matter even if a person was chained to my refrigerator, I would not torture him. I would simply remove him. Now if he was resisting with any kind of force, that changes things.

I haven't studied this particular case but the fact that they were able to apply pepper spray to their eyes with swabs, makes it pretty clear they weren't fighting them.

Cops simply abusing their authority.

26 posted on 04/29/2005 2:59:37 PM PDT by yarddog
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To: Sterm26
"The plaintiffs were never in it for the money. They were in it for the principle," attorney Tony Serra said.

I hope they pay you in "priciple", Tony.

27 posted on 04/29/2005 3:04:11 PM PDT by hattend (Alaska....in a time warp all it's own!)
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To: yarddog

"I would simply remove him. Now if he was resisting with any kind of force, that changes things."

See thats the crux of the matter. You cannot simply remove them, because they are chained up and refuse to leave.

You must use some force to move them and that is what the officers did.


28 posted on 04/29/2005 3:14:35 PM PDT by not5150
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To: not5150

Ever heard of bolt cutters, diamond saws, ceramic cut off wheels etc?


29 posted on 04/29/2005 3:20:00 PM PDT by yarddog
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To: yarddog

And so the protestors will magically move away when you cut the cable??

You have to lay your hands on them to move them.


30 posted on 04/29/2005 3:32:18 PM PDT by not5150
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To: not5150
"A million dollar award would have been different.

Not legally, a win is a win and the jury found against the police.

We differ. The police are the government and as a conservative, I distrust the government. When a jury finds against the government in a proceeding where evidence neither you nor I heard was presented, I am convinced the government, in this case the police, over-reached and violated the law.

But, as I said, we differ.

31 posted on 04/29/2005 3:34:24 PM PDT by muir_redwoods (Free Sirhan Sirhan, after all, the bastard who killed Mary Jo Kopeckne is walking around free)
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To: yarddog

"In both cases demonstrators linked their arms inside metal sleeves and refused to let go until after the liquid spray was applied.

Authorities said they used the pepper spray because they were afraid that cutting the metal cuffs would injure the demonstrators."

Bolt cutters and saws would not have worked in this case.


32 posted on 04/29/2005 3:36:50 PM PDT by not5150
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To: muir_redwoods

"The police are the government and as a conservative, I distrust the government."

No sir... distrusting the government is not part and parcel with being a conservtive. To say so is to insult most conservatives, including myself.


33 posted on 04/29/2005 3:38:51 PM PDT by not5150
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To: not5150
"distrusting the government is not part and parcel with being a conservtive."

We seriously differ.

34 posted on 04/29/2005 3:45:23 PM PDT by muir_redwoods (Free Sirhan Sirhan, after all, the bastard who killed Mary Jo Kopeckne is walking around free)
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To: Sterm26
No, no, no, no, NO!

There are important FACTS being left out of this story, and the *))(*(^ person who wrote this -- knows the facts are not being fully told.

The protestors STORMED Frank Riggs' office -Shouting, screaming, and refused to leave after they were repeatedly, and civilly asked to leave or, be civil. They continued to harangue, heckle, scream.

I didn't think the pepper spray was inappropriate. These protestors stormed, like wild animals. They were not members of the "civil society" when they did what they did.

35 posted on 04/29/2005 3:57:36 PM PDT by Alia
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To: yarddog

You are obviously not aware of the full facts. If you were, I hardly think a "Leo" would assert such nonsense as you have in your post. You were not given the full set of facts in the article.


36 posted on 04/29/2005 3:59:06 PM PDT by Alia
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To: not5150
"In both cases demonstrators linked their arms inside metal sleeves and refused to let go until after the liquid spray was applied.

OK I didn't know that. If they had no other way of removing them then fine. In my minds eye I pictured them simply using the pepper to make them move because they weren't obeying their orders.

37 posted on 04/29/2005 3:59:26 PM PDT by yarddog
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To: muir_redwoods

Are you a troll? Is this what Leo-Trolls sound like? Get the facts, dude. You don't have them. You have no idea what happened in Frank Riggs' office that day.


38 posted on 04/29/2005 4:00:01 PM PDT by Alia
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To: not5150
You have to lay your hands on them to move them.

Bingo.

39 posted on 04/29/2005 4:01:37 PM PDT by Alia
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To: Alia

Yep, you are right, I wasn't aware of what was really happening. If what I thought was happening was the case then I maintain my position was correct, but I see that wasn't the case.


40 posted on 04/29/2005 4:03:07 PM PDT by yarddog
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