During 2020’s historic protests, Omaha Police met peaceful protesters with militarized force and made mass arrests to enforce minor misdemeanor charges.
The answer to protests against police brutality should never be more brutality.
On behalf of the Omaha organization ProBLAC and a diverse group of citizens calling for racial justice, the ACLU of Nebraska filed a lawsuit that argued that Omaha Police's aggressive enforcement of unconstitutionally vague city codes violated protesters' rights under the U.S. Constitution, chilling peaceful free expression and subjecting protesters to unreasonable arrests and excessive force.
Litigation ended successfully with a settlement agreement. Conditions of the enforceable, two-year agreement resulted in updated city ordinances that better protect the rights of people speaking out in the streets. Conditions also included provisions limiting police use of chemical agents and impact munitions, keeping Omahans safer in the future as they practice their First Amendment right to peacefully gather and call for change.
