Class action claims Trump supporters were hurt by protesters because of city's actions
A class-action suit filed on Thursday alleges Trump supporters were hurt by protesters after a June 2 rally because of a dangerous situation created by police officers in San Jose, California.
The lawyer who filed the federal suit is Harmeet Dhillon, co-chair of the California Republican Committee, report Law.com (sub. req.), the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News.
The complaint (PDF) alleges that police required Trump supporters leaving the rally to “walk directly into and through a mob of physically violent and aggressive anti-Trump protesters.” The suit also alleges the police officers were told not to intervene as they witnessed violent acts by the protesters.
The suit names 14 plaintiffs who said they were injured in the attacks. One suffered a broken nose and another was hit in the head with a bag of rocks, according to the suit. The suit alleges the city interfered with Trump supporters’ rights to free speech, peaceful assembly and due process in violation of the First and 14th Amendments. It also alleges negligence.
Among the defendants are the city of San Jose and the city’s police chief and mayor, who said the notion that he had ordered police not to intervene was “ludricous” and “utterly false.”
San Jose City Attorney Richard Doyle told Law.com he hadn’t seen the lawsuit, but its claims are without merit. “The police did everything they could under the circumstances,” Doyle said. “It’s not fair to bash the police on this one.”
