Lawsuit claims men were illegally arrested for criticizing city officials at meeting
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- Darrell Petrey and Tony Thomas are suing the City of Wilmington, Ohio; Police Chief Ronald Fithen and former Council President Mark McKay after they said they were arrested and jail for criticizing officials during a city council meeting.
UPDATE: Darrell Petrey and Tony Thomas have been awarded nearly $300,000 in a settlement: ua-cam.com/video/Thj3OwjYjao/v-deo.htmlsi=bnqJ5LDTIAvFug0s
$300K is not enough. City council members and the police work for the citizens. And the police chief threatening the crowd is an intimidation tactic. He needs to be disciplined also.
The police chief needs to be charged as well. Another public servant who thinks he’s above the citizens.
He doesn't just think it, he knows it. Won't get charged, won't lose his job, won't cost him a dime and frankly, the power they have has been given to them by gov't officials, change comes from the top....not the bottom, cheers.
Death penalty NOW
1984 George Orwell, disgusting!
@@MAXIMUSMINIMALIST Funny enough, United States Code Title 18, Section 242 (violation of rights under color of law) still has the death penalty for kidnapping (false arrest).
If we just militantly enforced the laws on the books, the police misconduct would stop dead in its tracks. We do also need to do away completely with qualified immunity. An organization that cannot conduct its business without being immune from the laws that you and I have to abide by is the very definition of a criminal organization.
Another lawsuit that's gonna cost the taxpayer's and won't affect the mayor or the chief of police because they'll claim Qualified Immunity and get it.!!! Are we getting sick of this Bullshit yet folks.?
The cops should be fired for going along with this. They are complicit, just as much as the city officials.
Abolish qualified immunity
While these cops may report to the mayor, they are law enforcement, and cannot exercise their power arbitrarily. A whole lot of people who claim "I was just following orders" have found themselves jailed for long stretches.
They are nothing but order followers, they dont own an independent thought. Thats why there is a max IQ for beeing a police officer. Non thinking people are easier to controll.
Death penalty.
@@frotoe9289:: Their Oath is to protect the Constitution with honor! But the police "Oath of Honor" gets "Thrown Under the Buss" again, and again..
There is no question that these men should be able to sue. It is the only remedy against an unaccountable, tyrannical government that refused to honor the law and the Constitution.
The second amendment is another.
it's not the ONLY remedy, but the only LEGAL remedy
@@dabadore.Not even remotely what the second amendment is about.
@skankhunt3624 to protect yourself from internal and external terrorists. Yes, it is what it's about. It's like the first, it's not just for us to have weapons, it's the right for us to practice with said equipment AND to use against terrorists. Politicians who go against the constitution, are terrorists.
@@skankhunt3624 What is it about then? Have you ever read ANY of our founding father's writings?
This is happening all over the country in school boards and in city and county boards. Officials do this even when they know they are on cameras. These officials need to face extreme consequences for violating the rights of citizens.
They are even arresting people for recording public meetings.
And who will be handing out those consequences? The corrupt government officials? The people who pretend to be patriots? The citizen who whines and plays video games? A mysterious savior that all hope will come from the aether to correct the ills of the world so they themselves do not have to bother to take action?
The police should have refused to do that! They knew it was unconstitutional!! The cops are liable here as well.. it's their job to uphold our rights, not violate them!! Sue every one of them!!
You mean..unconstitutional?
Most cops do as they are ordered by politicians
qualified immunity.
You just now figuring out shaved head, no job skill having, jackboots are mindless drones?
Some other guys said the same thing: We are only following orders. Those guys were from Germany back in the 1940's...
The police chief needs to be sued as well. This is happening in towns all over the US, an Authoritarian presence that is getting out of control.
If you listen on near the end they are naming the chief and the city in their lawsuit.
The police chief needs to be charged and arrested by the FBI. Clear 1st Amendment violation through arrest, threats, malicious prosecution.
You are now on watch list. Expect many car horns and various pointless BS. 🤡
This is 1930's Gestapo behaviour, dear God!
FBI lol.. like they care about the constitution. lol
it happens allot there nothing is ever done,it happened to me to,There a big homo cult there.
Being arrested, having handcuffs put on for the simple act of speaking in a city council meeting. You the tax payers are paying their salary yet you can't speak???? The fact that those on the council felt comfortable enough with USING law enforcement to stop someone's first amendment right, speaks to a much bigger problem.
Yeah, those tyrant board members dont like criticism unless it benefits them.
Dismissed the case but got them into the system. This government is out of control.
Sue all of them. They work for us, we pay their salaries, and they're not Lords, or Kings that we have to genuflect and capitulate to in their presence.
Yes they did, working on getting it removed now. By law they have to.
This is where we have gone. Completely ignoring their oath to defend the Constitution. Police and city officials are not above the constitutional rights
What has happened to America The politians should all be fired
Fired at
firing a politician is called voting them out or a recall election. no more government immunity.
The Trump effect….we are kings and you have no rights
@MBHip
The Biden effect…poverty is slavery, and you have no rights.
Who is Trump? I keep hearing his name even though he hasn’t been relevant for a long time. You seem obsessed, let him ride into the sunset on his bicycle, because he CAN ride a bicycle.
Trump can also ride his bicycle back into the white house in 2024.@@blfzhn7716
and NOTHING will happen to the cops or board members for being 100% completely wrong! REPORTERS need to start asking the hard questions of OUR government employees NOT what they want you to ask NOT pre approved questions!!!
There are no true reporters
Shame on those cops for going along with this. This police chief needs to be fired.
Sue them personally, don't make the citizens pay for it. Fire and jail the police for violation of the Constitution they took an oath to.
They should be charged with treason for going against the oath they take TO THE COUNTRY AND THEIR PEOPLE !
The citizens should pay for it. They gave consent for this to happen in the first place.
The city condones this. Unless they get these tyrants out, the city AND other citizens are complicit. Maybe..the more taxpayers pay, the more they will work to do something about it.
@@tonylester6820 No they didn't.
USC 18 section 242 (deprivation of rights under color of law) still has the death penalty for kidnapping (false arrest)
We need more capably able men and women to stand against these blatant practices of authoritarianism.
@Bebtelovimab I don't comprehend the comment, just now appeared in my feed. I'm actually disabled. Which is why I said "capably able", as I suffered debilitating brain trauma. Ease up with the projection of labels when you have not the context. I'm no narcissist. If I were this would be easy I imagine, idk.
The right to redress government officials with speech is literally the foundation of the First Amendment.
Officials now believe that if a citizen offends them that they have then committed a crime. Abolish Qualified Immunity.
The second amendment is for when they won't allow you to exercise your first.
Not ANYMORE!!!! This government has turned FASCIST! And we let it HAPPEN!
They have learned that the constitution is worth less than used toilet paper in actual day to day life.
To this day I still despise the very concept of qualified immunity. The constitution is the highest law. You are not supposed to violate constitutional rights. Not even as a cop. ESPECIALLY not as a cop. There should not be such a thing as qualified immunity for violating the constitution. It should not even exist. You should be arrested and tried if you break the constitution. Solid evidence the government and the police exist mostly to support and protect the top 1 percent, and to keep the bottom 99 percent under control so we can work like animals to make them wealthy.
I sometimes wonder when are we gonna get to the torch and pitchfork section of our nations history.
Qualified immunity was made-up whole-cloth out of thin air by the supreme Court to cover for right's violating government officials just like themselves. The justices could see themselves possibly being in a position to be sued for anything they did wrong so they gave all other government officials qualified immunity to protect themselves. It's not a law it's just a precedent set by the supreme Court. We need Federal legislation to get rid of it.
It's amazing how you give someone a little power and they just abuse it to no end.
1930's Gestapo behaviour! What outrage!
the Nazis & Gestapo did the EXACT same thing !! (go figure)
Bang on the USA is living a George Orwell Novel: 1984, Thought police and Ministry of Truth, my goodness!
Hope they get millions that will wake people up
ANY violation of citizens rights by a sworn government official should be met swiftly with capital punishment. There is no excuse for tyranny at any level.
Why are police going along with this kind of nonsense? Are police trained to be the jackboots for any City or School board, without any question? How is it completely one sided? I hope the officers are included in the lawsuit. Hey LEOs, just say no. Instead, protect the public….and the first amendment. And tell the board members to shut up and let the people say their piece and move on. How is this so hard to understand?
You are quite late in realizing this. Welcome. Thousands of examples are available with more every day. Police are the lowest caliber of people.
The officers may not have wanted to arrest the men, but if they didn't follow orders, they might be fired!
@@Timbrock1000 afraid of getting fired? Do you think the men of the Gestapo had the same fear? Should the fear of losing your job allow you to violate the rights of citizens? You need to rethink your statement.
@@Timbrock1000 As the above poster said, "I was just following orders." hasn't been an excuse since Nuremberg. In fact, under the international treaties signed there, the police are legally obligated not to follow an order they know to be unlawful
The line officers are doing exactly what the chief wanted.
Based n this story, the man does deserve damages. And… the chief should be jailed for falsifying a police document.
We are losing our freedom of speech in this country.
This is a huge first step in restoring faith in MSN. No one is safe from a system that is not anchored to Truth, Justice and Integrity.
Stop watching the news
If there is faith it is in you... Because your alleged MSM has always reported these stories.
This isn't MSN, it's ABC
There is no restoring faith in MSM. Remember, what they are NOT reporting is just as significant as what they are reporting. And ABC is just as guilty.
Every single person on the board that night deserves to be part of the lawsuit! By doing NOTHING they endorsed the criminal behavior.
The damages need to be anyone in the system violating rights needs to go to prison
Nothing like a government that feels it's entitled to violate people's rights and not be held accountable for anything, just the people.
SO WE CAN'T EVEN CRITICIZE OUR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ANYMORE WITHOUT FEAR OF ARREST???????
chief needs to be fired, that entire council needs to be fired. we should all be calling that police station and city hall.
Just damages??? Everyone involved should be removed from office or stripped of their badge, Along with being imprisoned for oath violations.
It’s important for all Americans to understand, we live in an oligarchy police state. Our republic has been dead for decades.
I’m inclined to agree.
In jail for desrupting a public meeting , sounds over the top , should their rights be read to them ,and be told what was the crime when arrested .
The more I see of the USA the stranger it seams . What happened to " THE LAND OF THE FREE " ?
Well it never existed.
Unless you're willing to stick a hockey puck in your lower lip, get bucknaked and live in a grass hut in the Amazon, there is no 'land of the free', not in any modern society....anywhere....in the world
"Land of the Free" and "Home of the Brave" are becoming the "Land of the Fear" and "Home of the Knave". Public-Sector- Citizens and Private-Sector-Subjects.. Private-Sector Voters are starting to wake up to Public-Sector Roguery...
@@skankhunt3624 it existed before the Civil war.. after the Civil War America became incorporated.
The commie secret societies elite bloodlines and rich banking families jnfiltrated positions of influence, and here we are today with bought and paid for politicians.
The council of foreign relations was basically the start of all commie satanic control of America.
Jp Morgan Rothschild Rockefeller they are evil and destroyed America
Dying on the vine.
I’ve been seeing this same thing at School Board meetings, since when do police act on the Boards authority? What Law are these people breaking?
Feel entitled? If you are wrongfully arrested over EGO bull...yes they are entitled to compensation
Hope they get millions. And the Council members fired and charged for abusing power by having ppl illegally arrested.
not only council, all involved officers also. if they are so stupid. there is not possibility to reeducate
@@xmagat00 Unfortunately, they are expected to be stupid. That’s why they have “official immunity”. Which means if it’s a law they aren’t expected to know, they can’t be held accountable. But you’d expect everyone to know 1A. This wasn’t disruption, which is illegal. This was free speech. I think officers, even after they get the job, should take courses until they know all the criminal laws.
That’s disgusting that you can’t voice your opinion at a public meeting. Sue that city
I would ask as part of the future settlement that for a period of five years the city shall have a legal adviser at future meetings to advise on the constitutionality of future arrests. Any arrests that don't follow the adviser directions agree to pay $1,000,000 to the victim.
Why do these petty politicians think they can have people illegally arrested for criticizing the government and get away with it? And why would any police officer, who swore to protect and defend the Constitutional rights of citizens, trample on their oath and arrest innocent people? What about character and ethics?
integrity seems to be a lost concept
including journalistic integrity
becouse they can. there is no accountability when you investigate yourselves.
USA is a capitalist country. Money talks. And Politicians have more money
These city officals need to both be put in jail along with the DA seeing how they did not drop the charges right away and bankrupt them too.
Imagine a mayor, city council president and police chief that actually accepted responcibility of their actions, rather than letting the city settle the pending lawsuit at the expense of us taxpayers? Imagine a DA with the backbone to criminally prosecute these tyrants?
There’s 1000’s of these stories I’m glad you are at least covering one of them. You need to realize that citizens rights are being violated hundreds if not, thousands of times on the daily. This should be covered more so much more.
They should prosecute the meeting leaders for violating their rights!
Do they teach ANY kind of laws to these officers? Why are we paying for this kind of abuse to the public?
Violating constitutional rights should be considered a CRIMINAL act punishable by imprisonment or sevee fines.
They should pay for their incompetence
What world we live I where we can be silenced.
This should be a lesson for all city governments that you can’t arrest people for exercising their constitutional rights
It feels like we're living in Russia or China when Government officials say asking questions I don't like is disruptive.
?
They see our federal government getting away with the same shenanigans and think they can now do the same at the state and local levels.
The "officials" need to be removed.
Rip qualified immunity from the police and allow them to be personally pursued.
Those men who violated their rights should be in prison never to hold public offices again.
Proof that cops are smart enough to follow orders, but dumb enough to not question the orders.
What they did was absolutely wrong. Sue and hold all accountable.
Police chief needs to pay from his pention
Establishing a rule that government members cannot be criticized in public at a public meeting defies the basic principle of the First Amendment Right to Free Speech.
This is a core belief of monarchy governments, Lèse-majesté, "It is illegal to defame, insult, or threaten the monarch." This concept puts our local officials beyond reproach and is Antithetical to a Republic or even a Democracy. These "officials" work for us, and as our employees, they can and must be held accountable for that which they do in their position.
That was the quietest disruption of a public meeting i've ever seen!
Show the rest of the video, not an edited version.
So now the taxpayers will pay .
The people who ordered the arrest should pay out of their own pockets. But taxpayers will pay as usual
Police chief needs fired for dereliction of duty and failure to uphold his oath of office
I hope the taxpayers are happy with what this cost them
They all need to be fired and jailed themselves.
They won't be because we live in a police state. We let tyranny slip too far and the only solution comes straight from the founding fathers.
This is when the member of city council and police officers involved should not receive qualified immunity as sued individually, or the city's insurance companies be allowed to pay the settlement. They were aware and purposely violated these citizen's rights, but since is cost them nothing they willing do it.
The police chief needs to be removed.
The cops making the arrests needs to be fired and then charged!
Politicians everywhere are forgetting their place. They are servants to the people and as a result they have to be open to be criticized as much as the people want to do so. I hope these men score big and teach this community and hopefully others what a government "By the People" means.
The politicians have been purchased. Thank the Citizens United ruling by SCOTUS, a disastrous decision.
Didn't you know it is illegal to say bad things about city government and to ask questions that they don't like?
"We will arrest you each and every time."
That government is a walking lawsuit.
They both sued and were awarded $300k. City never admitted fault but that $300k pretty much sums it up
Absolute disgusting abuse of their perceived authority ….
That politicians will attempt to silence criticism is not a surprise but we are seeing way too many examples of police who know the law actively acting against the constitutionally guaranteed rights of citizens. Those policemen need jail time.
Public officials acting in a despotic way denying people their 1st Amendment rights, abusing their power seems to be very common these days. Glad there is local news still to report on it.
Freedom of speech on trial.
Jail time for those city officials and compensation for these men🤔😠
Welcome to the Police State of America
The officials need to be jailed with the cops .
Until law enforcement fixes their problems, they will continue to self inflict their defunding.. by getting sued.
Under Putin's law there is no court. Just chambers.
Just windows.
The chief of police should have resigned as well. The 2 men were exercising their right to free speech. The mayor and city council chief should have been investigated for the missing funds, mismanagement of taxpayers money and corruption.
"POWER CORRUPTS AND ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY" quote from British historian Lord Acton, of late 19th and early 20th century. It is true then and absolutely true now!😂😂😂😂
The gestapo is well and alive, no doubt.
An official who does not know how to listen to criticism addressed to him should lose his public office for life! First people want to become officials, they put up their billboards on all the intersections, on the billboards they smile and ask people to vote for them, and as soon as they become officials, they start looking down on people. Such officials are often corrupt.
Back in the 80s, Jackie Chan reportedly said that the U.S. was the most corrupt nation on Earth. Seeing as he's from Hong Kong, I thought it funny at the time. Now, he seems like a sage and a prophet.
What do you expect when the devil seeds created it for his flock to rule. China is no better they just do not give you the illusion of having rights. All the world governments are corrupt.
Back in the 1980's Hong Kong was still a British Overseas Territory and democratic... it was not until 1997 it was handed back to China! So, I find your comment rather funny fella!
@@freddysquirenaranjo4859 So, Hong Kong had 0 corruption back then? This country is (supposedly) democratic as well. I find your comment rather obtuse and puerile.
My goodness you certainly do not like people commenting on your comments do you! Off which proves to me that you are an ignoramus, enjoy your life and don't get so triggered you juvenile, good bye and have a super weekend, alpha bravo charlie delta echo, over and out, roger that! lol 😂 😂
All those involved with their arrest and prosecution need to be in prison . . . under the Federal Law that prohibits denial or infringement of Constitutional Right under color of authority. The tragedy is the city will have to pay damages out of taxes collected from its residents. The officials will be protected by Qualified Immunity -- and they're the ones who should be bankrupted, not the city itself.
These men have the right to free speech , that entire police force needs to sued!
Since when is it a crime to criticize a government official? The dismissed charges only prove the man's case further.
Take a quick look at 2:26 . It seems the criminal with the tattoos all up his arm is arresting the innocent clean-skin individual!!
This world has gone bloody nuts!!
Tattoos aren't crimes, they're art. What the person chose to say with their art might be revealing, but you'd have to take a closer look to interpret it.
So this is why we stand up for America's Constitutional Republic!!
We won't be intimidated nor will we be silenced.
What malicious prosecution? The charges was dropped...
There should not have been ANY CHARGES TO START WITH !
"hey we ripped all the clothing off your daughter and were getting ready to ravage her but changed our minds right before penetration"
So it's all good now right? That's what you sound like.
Point is they can silence with force(arrest), then drop charges.
They should take the money out of city council pay check for the false arrest.
Imagine something like this happening in the US...
“He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.”
Declaration of Independence
July 4, 1776
If I go to jail every time, then he goes to court as well. Every time! My lawyer would eviscerate him in a court room.
Some people should not be in public office. Their egos are too fragile, their decision-making processes are flawed, and their work ethic is non-existent.
They should all be fired and charged, they prooved they don't have respect for the public.😮
They can't do that! Time to get the Institute for Justice involved ~
Public meeting, therefore their allowed to be there, otherwise it wouldnt be a public forum. Case closed, and i agree they should be compensated for their troubles.
Take that city and the police department into bankruptcy. Section 242 Title 18 charges need to be levied onto every member of law enforcement and every city council member involved.
Make them pay $$$. How did the arrest and malicious prosecution work out for everybody?
Why is that hearing open to the public if it's such a crime to speak?
If an officer commits an unlawful act…they need to be arrested…false arrest is a crime from my recollection…
The city will be paying dearly for this.