PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A 20-year-old who alleges she was targeted by federal law enforcement for exercising her right to free speech is suing for $350,000.
Leilani Payne, who was 19 at the time, was pepper-sprayed in the face by a federal officer while protesting outside the Portland Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Oct. 2. The incident was caught on video.
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“I just think that they need to be held accountable for what they did, and if we don’t do it, who will?” Payne said.
The lawsuit argues the incident is part of a larger pattern of federal officers using force against protesters to silence them.
“There is simply no justification for using force against an unarmed, non-threatening teenage girl,” said Jesse Merrithew, an attorney representing Payne…