Austin police officers disperse racial justice demonstrators on May 31 using tear gas and “less lethal” rounds. Plaintiff Sam Kirsch is one of four Austin residents suing the city over alleged excessive use of force by the police during protests against police brutality that weekend. Image via original complaint in “Kirsch v. City of Austin.”
Four Austin residents have sued the Austin Police Department—with more cases expected—alleging that officers injured them using excessive force during the racial justice protests that unfolded nationwide this summer.
Although their claims face an uphill battle to overcome the immunity that police have from civil claims, the four lawsuits are the first of a growing litigation trend in the Texas capital that arose from Memorial Day weekend demonstrations demanding an end to police brutality against communities of color in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.
