Article author:
Associated Press
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines City Council members took the unusual step earlier this year of suing several people who participated in the 2020 protests following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. I am filing a counterclaim against the two police officers who took the case.
Rep. Indira Shoemaker's counterclaim alleges that police officers Peter Wilson and Jeffrey George raped her during a protest outside the Iowa State Capitol on July 1, 2020. He said he used excessive force and violated her civil rights when he was arrested. Her Sheumaker lawsuit, first reported by the Des Moines Register, also accuses police officers of filing frivolous lawsuits against demonstrators.
June Wilson and George sued Shoemaker and her five other protesters, accusing them of assault and including unspecified punitive damages. It sought monetary damages.
The protest was one of several demonstrations against racism and police brutality that have erupted around the world in the wake of Floyd's murder. It began as a rally calling on felons to restore their voting rights to the Iowa State Capitol and turned violent as police removed arrested protesters. The police lawsuit, filed on an individual basis, accuses Seamaker and another protester of suffocating George to death as the protesters tried to thwart a police officer's attempt to arrest several people. A person on an advance warrant.
The police lawsuit describes the protesters' actions as "nothing more than domestic terrorism." Protesters said police escalated tensions and handled arrests roughly.
Sheumaker, who was elected to the city council in 2021 on a platform calling for police reform, denies the police accusations in a counterclaim. According to her complaint, she was pushed by a crowd and bumped into George as she was videotaping police action at a demonstration. As she tried to get back on her feet, according to her countersuit, Wilson put her in a chokehold and dragged her to the ground before both officers tackled her. , in her rebuttal, states that cop lawsuits are prohibited by an Iowa case law known as the "Firefighter's Rule." The case law states that fire and police are inherently dangerous jobs and generally prevent emergency responders from filing lawsuits. Collect compensation for injuries caused on the job.
The officer's attorney, Mark Hedberg, said Shoemaker's allegations were baseless, The Register reported.
