Look around America today, and you see a nation that is not at ease with itself. Mass protests are commonplace across the country as Americans fight back against long-term injustice, economic uncertainty, and general hardship. However, one issue that has become a major talking point is the police response to protests and other forms of civil disobedience. Sometimes, the response can be too intense and it can lead to collateral damage.
For example, sometimes even those not taking part in the protest can become victims of collateral damage. Driving to Target to buy a present for her son, Yasmine Morales was not involved in the 30th May protests. Morales, 26, has filed a suit of $10m against the City of Los Angeles. This comes after she was shot in the face with a rubber bullet whilst sitting in her car near the demonstrations that were taking place.
Having simply been driving through and near The Grove shopping centre in the city, her attorney said that she was heading to Target to buy a present for her son. As she was driving, she had to stop at an intersection due to the protest. It was this point that Morales alleges that an officer intentionally took aim and fired at her. The officer, who was unidentified but was in a marked patrol car, fired a rubber bullet through the open car window. Morales was hit in the forehead, and suffered damage.
Her lawyer, Neama Rahmani, said that the officer “took deliberate aim” and that there was “no defense for that brutality.”
Rahmani says that her client may have suffered from long-term, or even permanent, injury. Rahmani continued, saying: “Traumatic brain injury, dizziness, she’s unable to walk without the assistance of a walker, so it’s been pretty difficult for Ms. Morales,” Rahmani told local station KCAL 9. “She’s a single mom just trying to make it just like the rest of us and obviously this has dramatically altered the course of her life.”
Footage is being investigated by the LAPD, and a request has been made for all body camera footage from officers to be turned over for checking.
Citation
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.