Four years after a protest over the murder of George Floyd, attorneys have filed a federal class-action lawsuit against the City of Fort Lauderdale and Fort Lauderdale Police Department.
The lawsuit alleges the civil rights of protesters were violated when police, without warning, dispersed tear gas into the crowd and deployed rubber bullets on May 31st, 2020.
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It was during this incident that LaToya Ratlieff was shot in the face with a rubber bullet. She suffered a broken eye socket, nerve damage, and a gash on her forehead.
“It’s something that, and I am sorry I am getting a little choked up now, but I replay often and even as I am coming down here, I don’t hang out in this area as much anymore, it’s just something that has shaped my life in a different way,” Ratlieff said at a Monday press conference.
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In 2022, she filed a federal lawsuit accusing the officer and the department of violating her civil rights.
Now, other people who were there that day are coming forward and joining a newly filed class-action lawsuit.
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The lawsuit alleges the rights of protesters were violated including free speech, the right to assemble, and protection of unreasonable search and seizure.
“We helped her into a strangers car and we ended up helping to get her to the hospital,” Mike Gabelus said.
Gabelus was one of the people who helped Ratlieff after she was injured.
“We were there to peacefully protest and we were tear gassed without warning and forced to leave,” Gabelus said.
Jayanna Jackson was also tear gassed that day.
“I was tear gassed, I was scared. As a community, we must stand so this doesn’t happen again,” Jackson said.
The lawsuit currently has three plaintiffs, but attorneys say more people are eligible to join the suit.
Attorneys for Ratlieff have previously questioned whether actions taken by police were justified. In May, attorneys released video they say shows protesters were not jumping on a police car at the time a distress call was made by an officer.
“If you were forced to leave the protest because of tear gas and rubber bullets, your rights were violated. If you suffered abuses of the fort Lauderdale police department that day, your rights were violated,” Ratlieff said.
Ratlieff says she hopes this new lawsuit will encourage others to speak up.
“We wouldn’t be where we are without protesting, without people standing up and saying this isn’t right and if people aren’t able to say something isn’t right, against something that wasn’t right, then where are we as a country and what are we saying to the community,” Ratlieff said.
In 2021, the detective who fired the rubber bullet that hit Ratlieff was cleared of all wrongdoing.
NBC6 reached out to the City of Fort Lauderdale and the Police Department, and a spokesperson for the Police Department said they do not comment on ongoing litigation.
