Civil rights secure equal protection and opportunity regardless of gender, race or any other characteristics. Examples include the right to a fair trial, access to education and the right to vote. Although the United States is known to have good systems in place for civil rights there are constantly news stories about rights being violated and people being treated unfairly. Follow this link if you are looking for a civil rights attorney near me.
The most common civil rights violations are color of law violations, where a legal power operates unjustifiably such as if a police officer detains somebody without due cause, and racial violence. Racial violence can include physical harm as well as harm to somebody’s property or verbal abuse that is racially motivated. In this article, we are going to look at five examples of civil rights cases.
Mississippi Prisons
More than ten Mississippi inmates sued the state on the 14th January 2020 over violence in prisons. A particular outbreak that took place just after Christmas killed five inmates. They filed a civil rights case over the states’ disregard for the safety and wellbeing of people in prison as they were aware of the trouble that the prison had been facing and failed to act appropriately. They failed to receive equal treatment under the law and not to face cruel and unusual punishment.
Man forced to lick urinal
A homeless man in Hawaii obeyed a police officers order to lick a urinal over a fear of being arrested. The officer, John Rabago, pleaded guilty in September 2019 and has even been accused of committing similar crimes in the past. The police officer was attending a trespassing call when he passed the homeless man, who had mental health issues and forced him to lick the urinal in a public toilet.
Sexual abuse claims at Michigan State University
Michigan State University was made to pay out $4.5 million in September 2019 after its mishandling of sexual abuse claims by gymnasts. Hundreds of women came forward with stories of sexual abuse by Nassar and later William Strampel. They claimed that the school did nothing to help them.
Wrongfully held at mental health hospital
Sharpe Hospital in West Virginia came under scrutiny for not documenting care plans properly. It was then found that they were holding people for sometimes years longer than was necessary. This will have put a massive unnecessary strain on the mental health system. Individuals have the right not to be held somewhere against their will unless they have committed a crime or are very mentally unwell.
Deaths of two black grocery workers
In October 2018, two African American grocery workers were shot whilst at work. The white man, Gregory Bush, who committed the shooting was said to have tried to enter a predominantly black church on the same day of the shooting and was heard making racial comments. During trials, he is also quoted as saying “Don’t shoot me. I won’t shoot you. Whites don’t shoot whites.”
