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New york sued by protesters over republican Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=azJ7KASE_PYs&refer=ushttp://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=azJ7KASE_PYs&refer=us
New York Sued by Protesters Over Republican Convention Arrests
Nov. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Demonstrators arrested during the Republican convention in New York this summer sued the city, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the police department, accusing municipal authorities of punishing legitimate political protest.
The suit, filed today in Manhattan federal court by several civil rights groups, was brought on behalf of nearly 2,000 protesters and bystanders who were arrested and detained in what the Center for Constitutional Rights says were ``filthy and toxic conditions.'' The suit seeks monetary damages and an order barring ``unlawful'' mass arrests in the future.
``The mayor and the police department suspended the Bill of Rights for those who chose to protest the foreign, military and domestic polices of the United States government,'' plaintiff's lawyer Jonathan Moore said in a statement.
Kate Ahlers, a spokeswoman for New York's Law Department, said the city will evaluate the complaint ``thoroughly'' after receiving the legal papers.
The Republican National Convention, which ran from Aug. 30 through Sept. 2, brought tens of thousands of protesters to city streets and resulted in thousands of arrests. On Aug. 31 alone, police arrested at least 550 people, including 200 outside the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan, where, authorities said, they blocked a sidewalk.
Two days later, a state judge ordered city officials to process and release as many as 560 demonstrators after he was told that some had been held as long as 66 hours.
`Inhumane'
Among the named plaintiffs in today's suit is Shahrzad Gheremani, a 15-year-old diabetic who said she was arrested as she headed toward a movie near where protesters had gathered. Also suing is former Morgan Stanley vice president Elizabeth Fleischman, who says she was arrested while riding her bicycle and following police directions.
The suit claims the city violated the demonstrators' constitutional rights by arresting them for illegal reasons and holding them in ``inhumane'' conditions at a city pier. The plaintiffs also attack what they call the city's ``mass arrest'' policy.
The mayor is founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP.
The suit is MacNamara v. City of New York, 04-CV-9216, Southern District of New York.
Last Updated: November 22, 2004 13:13 EST
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