The Civil Rights Lawyer

Kaya had just picked up groceries and was walking home when she noticed cops bothering a homeless lady. She began to film, and you know how much cops love to be filmed…. This is Richmond, Virginia. Raw Bodycam Footage: https://youtu.be/6QYRnKkw_Xg https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/09/01/bystander-films-cops-bothering-homeless-lady-and-gets-the-special-treatment/ Video to submit? https://forms.gle/HmwnDQKvwvYPxe967 Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnbryanesq Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnBryanLaw FAIR USE NOTICE This video may contain copyrighted material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for the purposes of criticism, comment, review and news reporting which constitute the fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review and news reporting is not an infringement of copyright. NOTE: We don't condone threats or violence of any kind. If you are upset or outraged by acts of government misconduct featured in this video, we encourage you to utilize lawful means of expression, including becoming involved in the political process, as well as seeking accountability through the judicial system.

A federal jury in a Section 1983 civil lawsuit just awarded $100 Million against a police officer and his employer, the City of Atlanta. Best version of body cam I could find: https://youtu.be/X-oWvVrck_4 #police #lawyer #trial Video to submit? https://forms.gle/HmwnDQKvwvYPxe967 Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnbryanesq Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnBryanLaw FAIR USE NOTICE This video may contain copyrighted material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for the purposes of criticism, comment, review and news reporting which constitute the fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review and news reporting is not an infringement of copyright. NOTE: We don't condone threats or violence of any kind. If you are upset or outraged by acts of government misconduct featured in this video, we encourage you to utilize lawful means of expression, including becoming involved in the political process, as well as seeking accountability through the judicial system.

You’ll just have to watch it…. Camden County, Georgia. Still looking into the aftermath…. Video to submit? https://forms.gle/HmwnDQKvwvYPxe967 Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnbryanesq Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnBryanLaw FAIR USE NOTICE This video may contain copyrighted material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for the purposes of criticism, comment, review and news reporting which constitute the fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review and news reporting is not an infringement of copyright. NOTE: We don't condone threats or violence of any kind. If you are upset or outraged by acts of government misconduct featured in this video, we encourage you to utilize lawful means of expression, including becoming involved in the political process, as well as seeking accountability through the judicial system.

Quite a few people sent me this video of Travis Heinze being told to leave Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, for “loitering.” I’m pretty sure I watched this play out in Rambo First Blood. Is this constitutional? Loitering ordinances have been misused by law enforcement for many years. The problem is, they create a criminal offense based on one’s mere presence in a public place, with the lack of any criminal intent. Therefore the police get total power to define who is a criminal, and who is acting lawfully. Of course, this can, and is, misused by police. Which is why the federal courts have addressed the constitutionality of these statutes. More: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/30/run-out-of-town-for-loitering-is-that-constitutional/ Original Video: https://youtu.be/4ddZy8mqHSk Video to submit? https://forms.gle/HmwnDQKvwvYPxe967 Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnbryanesq Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnBryanLaw FAIR USE NOTICE This video may contain copyrighted material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for the purposes of criticism, comment, review and news reporting which constitute the fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review and news reporting is not an infringement of copyright. NOTE: We don't condone threats or violence of any kind. If you are upset or outraged by acts of government misconduct featured in this video, we encourage you to utilize lawful means of expression, including becoming involved in the political process, as well as seeking accountability through the judicial system.

Melvin’s wife filmed his arrest. A federal civil rights lawsuit was filed. Here’s part 1 of the video deposition of the primary defendant police officer. Original Video: https://youtu.be/84VAy5bC5IE More on Lawsuit: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2021/11/23/federal-civil-rights-lawsuit-filed-against-mercer-county-deputies-for-excessive-force-during-domestic-disturbance-call/ Video to submit? https://forms.gle/HmwnDQKvwvYPxe967 Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnbryanesq Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnBryanLaw FAIR USE NOTICE This video may contain copyrighted material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for the purposes of criticism, comment, review and news reporting which constitute the fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review and news reporting is not an infringement of copyright. NOTE: We don't condone threats or violence of any kind. If you are upset or outraged by acts of government misconduct featured in this video, we encourage you to utilize lawful means of expression, including becoming involved in the political process, as well as seeking accountability through the judicial system.

On August 19, 2022, Joshua Gibbons arrived at Aerojet Rocketdyne Corporation in Jonesborough, Tennessee. He sent me a link to his video of him getting arrested shortly afterwards. More: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/27/trespass-arrest-of-first-amendment-auditor-meh-someone-must-own-it/ Original video from Big G Audit: https://youtu.be/yMWgw97whas Video to submit? https://forms.gle/HmwnDQKvwvYPxe967 Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnbryanesq Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnBryanLaw FAIR USE NOTICE This video may contain copyrighted material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for the purposes of criticism, comment, review and news reporting which constitute the fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review and news reporting is not an infringement of copyright. NOTE: We don't condone threats or violence of any kind. If you are upset or outraged by acts of government misconduct featured in this video, we encourage you to utilize lawful means of expression, including becoming involved in the political process, as well as seeking accountability through the judicial system.

A West Virginia Deputy has been indicted by the feds. It just hit the news a few days ago. I figured there must be body cam footage of the incident, so I sent a FOIA request to the employer. I was holding off on discussing the case until I saw the footage. I’ve now received a response, and you’re not going to like it.Here’s what we know right now. Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Lance Kuretza has been indicted in federal court for a felony civil rights violation after allegedly punching and pepper spraying a handcuffed suspect, as well as for attempting to cover-it-up by filing a false police report. More: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/24/wv-deputy-arrested-indicted-by-feds-county-refused-my-foia-for-body-cam/ Video to submit? https://forms.gle/HmwnDQKvwvYPxe967 Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnbryanesq Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnBryanLaw FAIR USE NOTICE This video may contain copyrighted material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for the purposes of criticism, comment, review and news reporting which constitute the fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review and news reporting is not an infringement of copyright. NOTE: We don't condone threats or violence of any kind. If you are upset or outraged by acts of government misconduct featured in this video, we encourage you to utilize lawful means of expression, including becoming involved in the political process, as well as seeking accountability through the judicial system.

Today’s video is about Matthew Souter, who owns a farmhouse in The Plains, Virginia. He ended up being unlawfully arrested and tased by police officers in his front yard. I’ll tell you about his interaction with the police, from beginning, all the way to last week’s jury verdict in a federal courtroom in Alexandria, Virginia. More: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/23/virginia-jury-awards-damages-against-officers-for-civil-rights-violations/ Matthew Souter's video explaining more about his injuries: https://youtu.be/UsfZRGolpCQ Video to submit? https://forms.gle/HmwnDQKvwvYPxe967 FAIR USE NOTICE This video may contain copyrighted material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for the purposes of criticism, comment, review and news reporting which constitute the fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review and news reporting is not an infringement of copyright. NOTE: We don't condone threats or violence of any kind. If you are upset or outraged by acts of government misconduct featured in this video, we encourage you to utilize lawful means of expression, including becoming involved in the political process, as well as seeking accountability through the judicial system.

In the early morning hours of October 12, 2021, Corey Jones got up early to work on some property improvements at his home, clearing brush around his acreage. He got out there early because he had to take his kids to school. Since it was still dark out, he used a headlamp. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the horse-owning Karen next door called 911 on him, complaining that she saw a guy in the woods on her neighbor’s property. She did this despite the fact that she had no idea who her neighbor was. Officers from the Pope County, Arkansas, Sherriff’s Department arrive, listen to her explanation, and then trespass onto Corey’s property, confronting him, and then arresting him. Everything that happens here is outrageous. But also instructive. Corey is a subscriber to my channel, and has graciously allowed me to share what happened. Let’s begin with the initial Karen-call.... More: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/22/cops-trespass-on-private-property-and-demand-id-for-imaginary-crime/ Video to submit? https://forms.gle/HmwnDQKvwvYPxe967 FAIR USE NOTICE This video may contain copyrighted material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for the purposes of criticism, comment, review and news reporting which constitute the fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review and news reporting is not an infringement of copyright. NOTE: We don't condone threats or violence of any kind. If you are upset or outraged by acts of government misconduct featured in this video, we encourage you to utilize lawful means of expression, including becoming involved in the political process, as well as seeking accountability through the judicial system.

I posted a video about a month ago titled, “WV Judge Pulls Gun . . . Then it Gets Weird.” This was about West Virginia Circuit Court Judge David Hummel. Here’s the first video: https://youtu.be/yF8_FVIcuLg There’s been a few updates in the reporting since the video. There was insinuation that video footage existed in this case. So now that’s been confirmed, and some footage has been released pursuant to a FOIA, and I have it. And I’ll show it to you. But there’s been a few other updates as well. More on this: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/20/footage-released-of-wv-judge-pulling-gun-in-courtroom/ DB story: https://www.thedailybeast.com/video-shows-circuit-judge-david-w-hummel-jr-pulled-a-gun-in-court-and-lied-about-it Video to submit? Use this link: https://forms.gle/HmwnDQKvwvYPxe967

A federal lawsuit was filed in Atlanta, where body cam footage shows Clayton County Police Officer Gregory Tillman breaking down a woman’s door after she refused to give a chess set back to a man who had moved out. All of this happened in front of the woman’s son. According to news reports, this involved her friend’s ex-boyfriend, who showed up claiming that he had left some items there, including a remote control and a chess set. He called 911 after she refused to let him inside her home. Original footage: https://youtu.be/WN_2aN4SZrA https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/17/cop-busts-down-door-for-chess-set/ Video to submit? Use this link: https://forms.gle/HmwnDQKvwvYPxe967

Ben was in Las Vegas for DEFCON, the world’s largest annual hacker convention. Ben’s day job is in the field of cybersecurity. He was staying at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel. Around 11pm on Sunday, August 14, he’s startled out of a sleep, in his dark hotel room. There’s pounding on the door. He walks to the peep hole in his underwear, peers through and sees what appears to be armed law enforcement in tactical gear. He’s ordered out of the room, in his underwear. They then search his room for firearms. They’re not law enforcement, but rather the hotel’s “Special Response Team.” They refuse to explain the basis for their belief that Ben has firearms in his room. More: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/16/hotel-swat-team-raids-customers-room-and-searches-for-firearms/ Video to submit? https://forms.gle/HmwnDQKvwvYPxe967 FAIR USE NOTICE This video may contain copyrighted material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for the purposes of criticism, comment, review and news reporting which constitute the fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review and news reporting is not an infringement of copyright. NOTE: We don't condone threats or violence of any kind. If you are upset or outraged by acts of government misconduct featured in this video, we encourage you to utilize lawful means of expression, including becoming involved in the political process, as well as seeking accountability through the judicial system.

I want to expand on the legal issues presented in yesterday’s video a little more. Yesterday I posted a video on the issue of warning fellow motorists about a speed trap via flashing the lights on your car. If that is protected speech, and as a result of that protected speech, you get pulled over, harassed, arrested, or so on, at that point you may have not just a Fourth Amendment violation, but also a First Amendment violation. More specifically, the cause of action in federal court is called First Amendment Retaliation. It’s a violation of your First Amendment rights to suffer retaliation as a consequence of exercising your rights. This area of the law can be extremely murky. But it can also be straightforward. Like everything else in federal constitutional law, it’s highly fact-dependent. This can be illustrated by a case I litigated, which pre-dated my Youtube channel, so you won’t find it there - at least before now. Imagine that a private citizen, riding in his work delivery truck, through the West Virginia countryside, sees a vehicle come barreling around him on a stretch of road with a double yellow line, going into a curve. This is filmed by the citizen with his cell phone. He recognizes the vehicle as that of his state senator. He then posts the video to social media, showing and denouncing the senator’s actions to his social media friends. But the senator has his own social media following, which is exponentially larger. In response to the citizen’s video, that senator with a large social media following goes on a rant against the citizen, calling him names, and also then identifying his place of employment - doxxing him, essentially. But he didn’t stop there. Read more: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/15/doxxed-by-a-senator-free-speech-retaliation-by-public-officials/ Memorandum opinion posted here: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2019/01/30/federal-judge-rules-first-amendment-civil-rights-lawsuit-against-richard-ojeda-will-proceed/ Yesterday’s video: https://youtu.be/g_9_bGG-Skc Video to submit? https://forms.gle/HmwnDQKvwvYPxe967 FAIR USE NOTICE This video may contain copyrighted material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for the purposes of criticism, comment, review and news reporting which constitute the fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review and news reporting is not an infringement of copyright. NOTE: We don't condone threats or violence of any kind. If you are upset or outraged by acts of government misconduct featured in this video, we encourage you to utilize lawful means of expression, including becoming involved in the political process, as well as seeking accountability through the judicial system.

Is there a constitutionally protected right to flash your lights at oncoming traffic, in order to warn them of an approaching speed trap? There’s remarkably few rulings out there on this issue, and a quick search reveals very little guidance from the judiciary and the legal community. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a common occurrence. I hear about it from time-to-time and there’s a few instances out there if it being captured on video. Perhaps my favorite is an old video from the guy they called the Godfather of First Amendment auditors, Jeff Grey. This occurred in Florida, near Jacksonville, on I-10, and involves a classic Florida speed trap, full of unnecessary government employees who have nothing else better to do than to harass people and flex their egos and authority. Jeff sets the trap with the bait. And the cops can’t resist it. Read more: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/14/is-there-a-right-to-flash-lights-to-warn-motorists-of-a-speed-trap-can-they-stop-you/ Jeff’s video: https://youtu.be/u7mlYT0pDuA Video to submit? https://forms.gle/HmwnDQKvwvYPxe967 FAIR USE NOTICE This video may contain copyrighted material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for the purposes of criticism, comment, review and news reporting which constitute the fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review and news reporting is not an infringement of copyright. NOTE: We don't condone threats or violence of any kind. If you are upset or outraged by acts of government misconduct featured in this video, we encourage you to utilize lawful means of expression, including becoming involved in the political process, as well as seeking accountability through the judicial system.

Big update in Chris Wiest’s case in Kentucky, where several Kentucky police officers are being held accountable for their misconduct. More at link: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/11/kentucky-officers-denied-qualified-immunity-and-headed-to-trial/

Civil Rights Law Live Stream discussion - with Kentucky Civil Rights Attorney Chris Wiest - August 11, 2022. Some big updates on Chris's cases, and more. We'll be discussing an update on this case: https://youtu.be/HmRipNEYqEI More at the link: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/11/kentucky-officers-denied-qualified-immunity-and-headed-to-trial/

In 2019, on a rainy April night in Sterling Heights, Michigan, 18- year-old Logan Davis had just gotten off work at a sandwich shop and was waiting under a nearby awning for his dad to pick him up and drive him home. A few minutes later, Davis ended up hand-cuffed in the back of a Sterling Heights police cruiser, having been forcibly taken to the ground and arrested for loitering. Davis subsequently sued the City of Sterling Heights and Officer Jeremy Walleman for unlawful arrest in federal court. More at link: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/10/video-shows-teen-arrested-waiting-for-his-dad-court-denies-qualified-immunity/

Remember the video I posted last week showing the building inspection search entry into the woman’s home? Here’s new bodycam of their Anne Frank joke. Let’s clear up the law on when the government can search your home for an “inspection” as opposed to a criminal investigation….. Original video: https://youtu.be/93KwL-so-Zk I’ll post the law to the blog tomorrow….

You're home asleep in your bed. It’s two in the morning. Suddenly, you hear shouting outside. Three police officers are outside your house, shining lights, shouting at you to exit your home. You’ve done nothing wrong. You’re afraid. You comply with their orders, because they’re the police. There’s three of them, armed with the authority of the government. So you go outside. They order you onto the ground. They place you in handcuffs. Once in custody, you recognize one of the officers. As it turns out, he’s there to intimidate you. And also ask about your puppies.This happened in South Carolina and a lawsuit has been filed. Read more at the link: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/09/officers-show-at-2am-to-flex-on-homeowners/ Link to the Post and Courier newspaper article: https://www.postandcourier.com/news/orangeburg-couple-alleges-in-new-lawsuit-that-police-removed-them-from-home-at-gunpoint/article_dac7163a-1347-11ed-8e08-d3009da854b0.html

This sort of behavior happens all the time: cops show up to a private residence, they knock on the door. What are your rights in that situation? What rights to the police have to do what they’re doing? Let’s make some things clear. Read more: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/08/cops-at-your-door-what-they-dont-want-you-to-know/ The WV video from last week: https://youtu.be/LCBd6Mfon-Y

Lawsuit filed today. More at the link: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/05/police-harass-innocent-citizens-on-their-porch-lawsuit-filed-today/

The U.S. DOJ announced in a press release today that police officers involved in the Kentucky shooting death of Breonna Taylor have been charged with federal felony civil rights violations. A federal grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, returned two indictments that were unsealed today, and the Department of Justice filed a third charging document today, in connection with an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old woman who was shot and killed in her Louisville home on March 13, 2020, by police officers executing a search warrant. Read more: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/04/police-officers-indicted-for-death-of-breonna-taylor/

It’s a relaxing summer afternoon. You’re visiting family about 15 minutes away from your home. You locked your doors before you left, like you always do. Your three dogs are safely secured inside your house. All of a sudden you get a notification from your Ring doorbell security camera, at your front door. You see two police officers and some other stranger standing on your doorstep. They just busted the lock off your front door. They’re in the process of entering your home. You have three dogs in the house and you immediately have awful thoughts racing through your head about police officers and dogs. Not knowing what else to do, and having no idea what’s happening, you confront them using the doorbell’s audio speaker. They tell you that they’re there to evict you. You have no idea what they’re talking about. This was the experience of Jennifer Michele of Land O’Lakes, Florida, in Pasco County. It was a complete surprise to her, given the fact that she had no knowledge of any eviction proceedings against her. She had been living there for 13 years. She posted this footage to Tik Tok, and it went viral. Here it is… Read more: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/04/ring-doorbell-saves-the-day-again-eviction-at-the-wrong-house/ Original Video: https://www.tiktok.com/@jennifermichele82/video/7125495395647687982

On July 29, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit released a published opinion in the case of Sylvia Gonzalez v. Edward Trevino, Mayor of Castle Hills that now appears to be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. This is an important First Amendment Retaliation case where qualified immunity is the key issue. Qualified immunity is the most important issue in the fight for the civil rights of the American people. It must be defeated, which is why you need to learn about cases like this, which the media will never tell you about. Read more, including the opinion: https://thecivilrightslawyer.com/2022/08/03/fifth-circuit-gives-qualified-immunity-to-city-officials-after-free-speech-retaliation-arrest-of-councilwoman/ The IJ’s earlier video: https://youtu.be/bIu1s3srVWo Institute For Justice website: https://ij.org Info on this case from the IJ’s website: https://ij.org/press-release/texas-federal-judge-tosses-qualified-immunity-defense-in-first-amendment-retaliation-case/