Spencer S. Hsu, in his The Washington Post article titled “Civil liberties groups sue Trump, Barr for forcefully removing Lafayette Square protesters,” talks about how American protestors feel their rights have been violated. The writer notes that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), alongside Black Lives Matter (BLM), in June 2020, accused Trump and his government of sanctioning an attack on protestors. The two groups claim that the 45th President authorized the move to allow a photo opportunity of him with a Bible in front of the famous St. John’s Episcopal Church. According to the groups, the U.S. and military forces used crude materials, including smoke canisters, batons, pepper sprays, and rubber projectiles, on the largely peaceful demonstrators. The two outfits asserted that the administration violated constitutional rights, which include the freedom of speech and assembly of the activists half an hour before the curfew.
Hsu explains that ACLU and BLM claimed that they assembled peacefully to protest the demise of George Floyd, which occurred at the hands of the police in Minneapolis, and other similar deaths. ACLU officials stated that the movement plans to file many more such lawsuits in response to violence by law enforcement agencies against demonstrators and journalists across the country. The spokespersons further claimed that the attorney general had turned out to be complicit in the First Amendment rights. The charge sought to have the court pronounce Trump, Barr, and other administrators as individuals who schemed to violate the demonstrators’ First and Fourth Amendment rights. The author further notes that the complaint also sought an order barring the administrators from repeating what the accusers referred to as unlawful actions.