They were playing dress-up, living out their 'Call of Duty' fantasy of gassing & shooting protesters

[Budi]

https://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/2020/10/22/denver-police-protests-2020-excessive-force-acker-lawsuit/

College student hit in face by 40mm round during police protests sues Denver
Michael Acker alleges Denver police violated his First Amendment right to assemble and speak freely

SNIP
The lawsuit (filed Thursday) accuses Denver police Chief Paul Pazen and five unnamed officers, along with the city, of violating the First Amendment rights of Michael Acker, who was injured while trying to help a woman who had been shot during with multiple pepper balls during police protests in Denver.
The lawsuit accuses the police of using excessive force to chill Acker’s rights to assemble and speak freely.

“Rather than protecting and serving, DPD officers in these protests were a roving gang cosplaying as an occupying military force,” the lawsuit said. “They were playing dress-up, living out their ‘Call of Duty’ fantasy of gassing and shooting protesters in the street without consequence. And, as a result, peaceful protesters against police brutality suffered unprecedented brutality by DPD officers. This escalation was a feature, not a bug, of how Denver policed the protests. DPD officers wanted to start a riot.”





Fellow protesters aid Michael Acker on May 28, 2020, after he was hit in the face with a 40mm foam bullet fired by Denver Police Department officers.
Acker sued Denver in federal court Thursday for the officers’ use of excessive force to silence his free speech and assembly rights.

[wnylib]

1. Well phrased. I hope that Acker wins big.

[IronLionZion]

2. Long past time to reform qualified immunity

so that blatant police brutality can have some consequences. It's been a common campaign issue this election year and lots of cities have done some local level reforms.

[OMGWTF]

3. I think that's also what those "Proud Boys, et. al." are doing. Playing dress-up.