Thibodaux Police settle excessive-force lawsuit filed by disabled man, ACLU attorneys say
Attorneys for a disabled man who alleged that a violent detention by Thibodaux Police in his home last year resulted in injuries and was unlawful announced Wednesday that a settlement had been reached in the case.
Court papers allege that on Aug. 15, 2020, Thibodaux Police officers who showed up at Yohann Jackson’s home “used unreasonable, excessive and unwarranted force.”
According to court papers, Jackson was disabled due to what he had described as “cerebral palsy” and continues to suffer emotional and physical pain in connection with the incident.
Thibodaux Police Chief Bryan Zeringue said he could not comment on the case at this time.
A specific dollar amount of damages is not mentioned in the lawsuit.
City Attorney Beau Brooks could not be reached Wednesday afternoon.
The plaintiff’s attorneys noted that the city and the officers did not admit liability or negligence.
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“Despite being made aware of Mr. Jackson’s disability, the defendant officers still brutalized Mr. Jackson,” the suit, filed in New Orleans federal court, alleges. “Among other things, they twisted his injured arm beyond its natural range of motion; they jerked his head and inserted a finger into his ear; they applied tight handcuffs that cut and bruised his arms and they smashed his legs and head against hard surfaces of a police car.”
The suit was filed against the Police Department as well as officers Shawn Snow, Simon Braud, Devon Lebouef and Jory Guidry.
“After nearly three years of working to bring justice to our clients, this settlement represents another important step forward in our fight against discrimination by the police,” said Nora Ahmed, legal director of the ACLU of Louisiana, which represents Jackson. “Until law enforcement agencies take accountability for their consistent misconduct, our most vulnerable community members — people of color, children, low-income people, immigrants and people with disabilities — will not be safe from those sworn to protect and serve them.”
The suit was filed as part of the ACLU’s Justice Lab campaign, which challenges “racially discriminatory police practices” against people of color. The campaign enlists for-profit law firms and law school legal clinics to bring cases challenging racially-motivated stops and seizures.
The ACLU’s statement says over half of people killed by police officers are disabled and that 33-50% of police use-of-force incidents are against persons with disabilities.
“Black people with disabilities, like Mr. Jackson, are also twice as likely than white people to be killed or otherwise brutalized by the police,” the ACLU statement says. “Individuals with disabilities are often wrongly seen as non-compliant because they are physically unable to do what an officer commands or are unable to understand the commands at all. Mr. Jackson did everything he could do to cooperate with officers and persistently informed them of his condition, yet they continued to act with cruel disregard for his humanity.”
Statistical information regarding police use of force against people with disabilities was included in the complaint made in court.
“I am just glad to be in a place that sees a need and a sense of duty to help their fellow man in his time of need,” Jackson said.
Jackson v. Snow was the 18th lawsuit filed as part of the Justice Lab campaign.
This article originally appeared on Daily Comet: Thibodaux Police settle excessive-force lawsuit filed by disabled man
