Senior Partner
Today the SKKM Firm filed a lawsuit against the City of Seattle and State of Washington on behalf of peaceful protesters in Seattle. All of the plaintiffs are cloaked within the power of the Washington State Constitution to engage in Freedom of Speech and Assemblage on behalf the Black Lives Matter movement and George Floyd.
This case (shown below) alleges that in response to protests against police discrimination and brutality, the SPD has chosen to engage in discrimination and brutality. The SPD has defied conditions of a Federal Consent Decree, ignored local and state law, and violated its own policies, practices and procedures.
Merrick Bobb, the outgoing court-appointed monitor of the federal mandated police reforms, recently wrote:
SPD’s performance left many observers disappointed and crestfallen, if not disturbed profoundly by what looked like multiple instances of excessive force, as if lessons learned and techniques trained under the consent decree were lost, or, at least, set aside.
This lawsuit alleges that in response to protests against systemic inequities in policing, SPD disregarded its own policies and federal oversight to treat protesters as opponents of war, rather than citizens with equal rights.
Dozens more protesters will be added to this complaint as the notice period to the government expires.
The Stritmatter Firm represents peaceful protesters of the George Floyd/BLM movement in claims against the City of Seattle and State of Washington for excessive force, violations of their rights to free speech, negligence, wrongful death and personal injuries. We represent most of these clients pro bono—free of charge. This impact litigation is joined by the Cedar Law Firm, PLLC, and their clients.
Media should contact Karen Koehler or Andrew Ackley (206) 448-1777.