BlackLivesMatter’s DeRay May Settle Lawsuit v. Baton Rouge Police

The Associated Press
The Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana – Attorneys handling a lawsuit filed against the city of Baton Rouge by #BlackLivesMatter protester DeRay Mckesson announced that a settlement may soon be reached between the two parties. The lawsuit challenged their arrests during a protest in the area that followed an officer-involved shooting of a black man.

There could be an “agreement in principle to amicably resolve the matter,” according to a court order obtained by the Associated Press (AP).

Nonetheless, attorney Roy Rodney Jr. representing DeRay others, said “fruitful discussions” with Baton Rouge officials have yet to make that “agreement” actually happen thus far.

DeRay and some 30 other protesters were arrested by the Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD) during protests which demanded the city take actions against the officers who were involved with the police-involved shooting death of 37-year-old Alton Sterling, as Breitbart News reported.

The prominent #BlackLivesMatter protester, who came to fame during the Ferguson, Missouri, protests, was live-streaming the protests in Baton Rouge at the time of his arrest. DeRay was arrested for walking along a street in which police had previously blocked off.

“The police in Baton Rouge have been truly awful tonight,” DeRay said during the live-stream. “They have provoked people, they chase people just for kicks. The police have been violent tonight. The protesters have not.”

Soon after, BRPD officers can be heard shouting “This is the police, you’re under arrest! Don’t fight me! Don’t fight me!”

“I’m under arrest, y’all,” DeRay said on the live-stream while being apprehended by police.

DeRay complained about the Baton Rouge prison food while serving fewer hours in the jail than most other protesters who were arrested.

After his release, Breitbart Texas Editor-in-Chief Brandon Darby reported how DeRay had been given “special treatment” while in the jail.

John Binder is a contributor for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.

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