CHICAGO (AP) – A judge announced Thursday that he will order federal officers in Chicago to limit their use of force against peaceful protesters and media, saying current practices violate constitutional rights.
The preliminary injunction was issued in response to a lawsuit alleging that federal agents used excessive force during immigration enforcement operations in the Chicago area.
United States District Judge sarah ellis The ruling, which President Donald Trump’s administration is expected to appeal, is an improvement on an earlier interim order that required employees to wear badges and prohibited the use of certain badges. riot control techniquesincluding tear gas against peaceful protesters and journalists. She added the body camera mandate after repeatedly criticizing federal officials for failing to comply with previous orders.
Ellis opened Thursday’s hearing by describing Chicago as a “vibrant place” and reciting a famous poem about the city by poet Carl Sandburg.
Ellis said it is “absolutely false” that the Chicago area is a violently violent area.
“I do not believe that the defendants’ testimony is reliable,” Ellis said.
She described protesters and supporters facing tear gas, being held at gunpoint and being thrown to the ground, saying, “That would make any reasonable person think twice about exercising their fundamental rights.”
preliminary injunction resulting from a lawsuit Media outlets and demonstrators filed suit alleging that agents used excessive force during the demonstrations.
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Wednesday’s eight-hour hearing also included emotional testimony from witnesses who described experiencing tear gas, being shot in the head with a pepper ball while praying, and being held at gunpoint while recording officers in a residential neighborhood.
Ms Ellis questioned witnesses about how these experiences had affected them and whether it had prevented them from protesting again. Witnesses spoke of their fears about returning to protests and advocacy.
Leslie Cortez, a youth organizer in the Chicago suburb of Cicero, told Ellis: “I feel like I’m not safe and I get very nervous.” “And I question my safety when I go out.”
Lawyers also played footage of a five-hour deposition, or personal interview, with senior Border Patrol official Greg Bovino. There he defended his officers’ use of force and deflected questions about Border Patrol tactics in the country’s third-largest city.
