42 USC Section 1983 - Civil action for deprivation of rights
Every person who, under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage, of any State or Territory or the District of Columbia, subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States or other person within the jurisdiction thereof to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution and laws, shall be liable to the party injured in an action at law, suit in equity, or other proper proceeding for redress, except that in any action brought against a judicial officer for an act or omission taken in such officer’s judicial capacity, injunctive relief shall not be granted unless a declaratory decree was violated or declaratory relief was unavailable. For the purposes of this section, any Act of Congress applicable exclusively to the District of Columbia shall be considered to be a statute of the District of Columbia.
I believe, though I have not checked, that the above was the statute under which Rodney King sued and won, after the cops who beat him were acquitted in state court, despite video of the beating. In any event, people who are deprived of federal and statutory rights HAVE to sue, every single one.
When property, local and state taxes go up because of settlements and judgments of these suits, taxpayers will start screaming at Governors and Mayors and Governors and Mayors will start screaming at police commissioners, who will start training cops differently.
Meanwhile, DUer rhett o'rick had a great idea. Let's all contact our Governors, state legislators, mayors and town councillors and tell them we don't want this crap or paying for the verdicts and settlements likely to result from it.
I don't always believe our calls, letters, emails etc. will have the effect for which we hope. However, I do in this instance.
WE CAN IMPACT THIS.
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