Last Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island filed a lawsuit against Gov. Dan McKee and several other state employees, alleging the defendants violated the constitutional rights of a group of peaceful protestors during McKee’s State of the State address earlier this year. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, seeks declaratory, injunctive and compensatory relief.
The suit alleges that the defendants prevented the rallygoers from engaging in peaceful protest activities and from “effectively exercising their rights of free speech and to petition the government.” The defendants include McKee, Chief of R.I. Capitol Police Matthew Sutton, two other officials and 10 unidentified members of the R.I. Capitol Police or R.I. State Police.
The protest was organized by Harrison Tuttle, the former president of the now-dissolved Black Lives Matter R.I. PAC. Tuttle enlisted the support of the Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project in planning the rally, RIHAP Executive Director Eric Hirsch wrote in an email to The Herald. The ACLU of R.I. filed the suit on behalf of Tuttle, Hirsch and RIHAP…