On July 28, 2021, the Promise of Justice Initiative (PJI), the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Reform Coalition (EBRPPRC), and Decarcerate Louisiana asked the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice to “immediately launch an investigation into the illegal practices of the law enforcement agencies policing the parish, including the Baton Rouge Police Department, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, and the Louisiana State Police.”
Their complaint (available online here) is a damning compilation of Baton Rouge law enforcement misconduct spanning nearly sixty years, focusing on the serious abuses of the last few years and present day.
The complaint incorporates and builds on the work of our firm, as nearly a half dozen Most & Associates cases and projects are cited as evidence of the pattern of misconduct. They include:
Bradford Skinner, who was choked by the neck to unconsciousness by officers after he asked for medical care.
Protesters and journalists who were arrested for peacefully protesting the killing of Alton Sterling.
Thomas Frampton, a law professor who the City/Parish sought to put in jail after he exposed BRPD misconduct.
Black community leaders who were thrown out of Metro Council meetings within seconds of saying the name “Alton Sterling” or criticizing the police.
