Black Lives Matter activist sues Baton Rouge over arrest
(AP) — Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson sued the city of Baton Rouge and police officials on Thursday, saying officers responded in a "militarized and aggressive manner" in arresting him and other people protesting a police shooting death.
The federal class-action lawsuit, which names two other arrested protesters as plaintiffs, accuses police of using excessive force and violating the protesters' constitutional rights.
"All class members now have criminal arrest records, which in this digital age could adversely affect their future employment, education, reputations, and professional licensing," according to the suit, which seeks unspecified compensation for lost wages, court costs and other expenses related to the arrests.
On July 13, after the protests began to abate, police announced that they had arrested three suspects accused of stealing several handguns from a pawn shop as part of an alleged plot to harm police officers in the Baton Rouge area.