The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana filed a lawsuit on Wednesday that said the Baton Rouge Police Department violated the free speech rights of protesters demonstrating against the police shooting of Alton Sterling.
“We can’t bring Alton Sterling back but at minimum, the police can stop blocking our right to protest in his name,” ACLU of Louisiana Executive Director Marjorie Esman said in a press release.
The legal defense organization also filed a temporary restraining order to prevent the police from interfering with further protests.
Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, was shot after being tackled to the ground by two white police officers on July 5. The incident, which is being investigated by the Department of Justice, inspired a number of protests, some of which turned violent.
The lawsuit alleged that “the police used excessive force, physical and verbal abuse, and wrongful arrests to disperse protesters who were gathered peacefully to speak out against the police killing.”
Baton Rouge police spokesman Sgt. Don Coppola wrote in an email to ABC News that one officer had several teeth knocked out and the department confiscated eight firearms during a protest on July 9. A few days later, federal authorities arrested several activists who are alleged to have plotted to a shoot police officers at protests.
“It appears the protest[s] at Baton Rouge Police Headquarters have become more violent as out of town protesters are arriving,” Sgt. Coppola wrote.
