Deaf man, dumb cops: sign language, not a gun.

• Author: Krayewski, Ed
• Position: Citings - Brief article

JONATHAN MEISTER has accused police of handcuffing him and beating him up after he was approached while picking up some of his belongings from a porch in Hawthorne, California, in February 2013.

Meister--who is profoundly deaf, according to his attorney--says he attempted to sign to the officers. They interpreted the gestures as threatening. Meister suffered visible injuries to the face from the ensuing police encounter. He later filed a lawsuit with the Disability Rights Legal Center against the city of Hawthorne, the police department there, and several of the officers involved.

Meister had arranged with his ex-roommate to pick up his belongings, which were left out on the porch for him, so there were no theft charges. He was...