All articles tagged with #civil rights violation
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is initiating a process to block Harvard University from receiving future research grants due to violations of civil rights law related to harassment of Jewish students, escalating tensions amid ongoing disputes over campus ideology.
The Justice Department found George Washington University guilty of violating civil rights laws by neglecting to address antisemitic discrimination against Jewish, Israeli, and American-Israeli students and faculty, and will seek remediation for these violations.
The family of former New Orleans Saints player Glenn Foster Jr. has filed a lawsuit accusing sheriff's deputies in Pickens County, Alabama, of torturing him after his arrest, leading to his death. The lawsuit alleges that Foster was tased, beaten, and choked by the officers. Foster's family is suing for wrongful death, excessive force, and violation of civil rights. The state autopsy report concluded that Foster died of natural causes, but the family disputes this. They also point to a pattern of police brutality in Pickens County, where three Black men have been killed by police or died in custody since 2019. The family is seeking justice and accountability for Foster's death.
A grandmother from New Mexico, Teresa Gomez, was shot dead by a Los Cruces police officer as she attempted to speed away in her car. The officer had been speaking with Gomez and accused her friend of trespassing and violating a judge's order. In a nine-minute bodycam footage, the officer used aggressive language and threatened Gomez. After finding her car keys and receiving permission from the officer, Gomez returned to her car, but moments later, the officer opened fire, striking her at least once. Gomez was taken to the hospital but died from her injuries. Her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging excessive force. The officer, who has been involved in previous use-of-force incidents, is on paid administrative leave while investigations are ongoing.
A former Warren police officer, Matthew James Rodriguez, has been charged with a federal civil rights violation for assaulting a suspect in the city jail. The assault, which was captured on video, involved Rodriguez punching the suspect and slamming his head onto the floor. The Warren Police Commissioner terminated Rodriguez after an internal investigation found the assault to be unjustified. Rodriguez is also facing misdemeanor charges in state court, but the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office will defer to the U.S. Attorney's Office for prosecution. The victim has filed a federal lawsuit seeking $50 million in damages.
An IMPD officer, Eric Huxley, pleaded guilty to federal charges related to excessive use of force during an arrest in September 2021. Huxley was caught on body camera footage stomping on the man's face. The plea agreement does not protect Huxley from state prosecution, as he faces official misconduct and battery charges in Marion County.
Two former Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies have been charged with violating the civil rights of a skateboarder by falsely imprisoning him in a patrol vehicle before a chase that ended in a crash, and obstructing justice to cover up the illegal detention. The defendants were on patrol on April 13, 2020, when they "unlawfully detained and falsely imprisoned the then-23-year-old victim in the back of their patrol vehicle," prosecutors said. The indictment also alleges that Vega and Hernandez obstructed justice in multiple ways to conceal and cover up their detention and false imprisonment of the skateboarder.
Two former Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies have been charged with violating the civil rights of a skateboarder by falsely imprisoning him in a patrol vehicle before a chase that ended in a crash, and obstructing justice to cover up the illegal detention. The defendants were on patrol on April 13, 2020, when they "unlawfully detained and falsely imprisoned the then-23-year-old victim in the back of their patrol vehicle," prosecutors said. The indictment also alleges that Vega and Hernandez obstructed justice in multiple ways to conceal and cover up their detention and false imprisonment of the skateboarder.