The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Oregon filed a lawsuit in opposition to town of Medford, Oregon, on Tuesday, alleging that town’s legislation enforcement authorities have been surveilling and illegally gathering data on the complainants for years. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of two native organizations and a person activist.
Within the grievance, filed within the Jackson County Circuit Court docket, plaintiffs say that data reveal that the police have been conducting surveillance on political activists within the metropolis. This surveillance allegedly started after protests within the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Police continued to observe protests in opposition to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and the police division allegedly infiltrated a social media group of activists.
As per the complainants, the police division maintained information on activists who had solely engaged in peaceable protesting, violating ORS 181A.250, a statute thatforbids legislation enforcement authorities from amassing details about events except in the middle of a legal investigation, the place there are affordable grounds to suspect the celebration of legal conduct.
Medford metropolis lawyer, Eric Mitton stated, in an e mail to Related Press, that the police solely gathered publicly accessible data and the aim of the surveillance was to “to deal with legit police pursuits relating to public rallies and protests.”
Source / Picture: jurist.org
