Sunday, June 1, 2008

Suing City Hall

In the news today:

A teacher who was bonked on the head with a book thrown by a student is suing the city for "negligently and carelessly" causing "the school's activities to become and remain dangerous." The city tried to get the suit dismissed claiming that the teacher, as a Board of Education employee, cannot sue the city. So far, teacher 1, city 0.

And there is the case of the man who is suing the city for false arrest, claiming the city has a policy of arresting "innocent persons in order to meet stated 'productivity quotas.'" Apparently, he'd been helping his friends move some DJ equipment at around 12:30 a.m. when he was approached & detained by police officers. He showed his ID as requested, they knocked it from his hands (so he alleges) then grabbed him, threw him to the ground, handcuffed him, and kept him 2 days, accusing him of resisting arrest, after which the charges against him were dismissed. (Me, I tend to believe the guy. Police are brutal. Especially against minorities of all stripes.)