Tweet
Lawsuit alleges police intimidation at SoCal event
LOS ANGELES -- A group of Southern California residents opposed to the way checkpoints were being conducted in Latino neighborhoods have sued Pomona police officers, accusing them of intimidation.
The plaintiffs include more than 50 people who attended an August 2008 community meeting to discuss the checkpoints, which some residents say targeted Latinos.
They say police officers in plainclothes came to the meeting at a local religious center and threatened and intimidated participants.
The lawsuit, filed last week in federal court in Los Angeles, accuses the officers of interfering with their rights to free speech, assembly and religion at that meeting.
"We expect the police to respect the Constitution of the United States," Angela Sanbrano, one of the plaintiffs and a member of a coalition organizing opposition to the checkpoints, said Tuesday.
Police in the city east of Los Angeles have said the checkpoints were set up to look for drunk drivers and traffic safety violations.
A four-way checkpoint held in a predominantly Latino neighborhood from afternoon to night in May 2008 angered some residents, who organized protests and the August 2008 community meeting.
Mark Gluba, assistant to the city manager in Pomona, said Tuesday that officials are studying the allegations.
LOS ANGELES -- A group of Southern California residents opposed to the way checkpoints were being conducted in Latino neighborhoods have sued Pomona police officers, accusing them of intimidation.
The plaintiffs include more than 50 people who attended an August 2008 community meeting to discuss the checkpoints, which some residents say targeted Latinos.
They say police officers in plainclothes came to the meeting at a local religious center and threatened and intimidated participants.
The lawsuit, filed last week in federal court in Los Angeles, accuses the officers of interfering with their rights to free speech, assembly and religion at that meeting.
"We expect the police to respect the Constitution of the United States," Angela Sanbrano, one of the plaintiffs and a member of a coalition organizing opposition to the checkpoints, said Tuesday.
Police in the city east of Los Angeles have said the checkpoints were set up to look for drunk drivers and traffic safety violations.
A four-way checkpoint held in a predominantly Latino neighborhood from afternoon to night in May 2008 angered some residents, who organized protests and the August 2008 community meeting.
Mark Gluba, assistant to the city manager in Pomona, said Tuesday that officials are studying the allegations.
Comment