Alton Sterling’s children sue Baton Rouge over shooting, alleging racism and excessive force
The children of Alton Sterling, the black man fatally shot by a white police officer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, nearly a year ago, are suing the city, the police department and the officer, the Associated Press reported.
The wrongful death lawsuit, filed in a state court on Tuesday, alleges that Sterling’s shooting fits a pattern of racist conduct and excessive force by Baton Rouge police.
Baton Rouge police officers have also sent racist text messages to colleagues about people who protested Sterling’s death, the family’s lawsuit alleges.
“The City of Baton Rouge has a long standing pervasive policy of tolerating racist behavior by some of its officers,” the suit says, according to the AP. “There have also been multiple verbal racist comments by officers reported to the department. This tolerance of such behavior directly leads to the mistreatment of individuals of African-American descent.” Read more (6/28/17)