Official sues over his arrest at police brutality protest

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MILWAUKEE (AP) — A Milwaukee County supervisor has filed a lawsuit against the city and county alleging law enforcement officers violated his civil rights when he was arrested at a protest over police brutality a year ago.

The Journal Sentinel reports Ryan Clancy was one of about 70 people who were arrested and issued citations by Milwaukee police and Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputies for violating Milwaukee’s 9 p.m. curfew in late May 2020 . Clancy says video of the incident detainment shows an unidentified officer tackling him to the ground before his hands were tightly cuffed using zip ties.

At a press conference outside Milwaukee City Hall on Friday, Clancy said the lawsuit seeks damages from the injuries he suffered but that he will also pursue alternative remedies that would discourage public officials from issuing curfews in face of protests in the future.

Clancy says he was observing protests in his capacity as a public official on May 31, 2020.

Officials with the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee Police Department declined to comment Friday. Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas called Clancy’s claims “frivolous.”