Johnson v. Board of Police Com'rs.

• Position: CIVIL RIGHTS - Brief Article

U.S. District Court

FALSE IMPRISONMENT

FALSE ARREST

INVOLUNTARY SERVITUDE

PRETRIAL DETAINEES

Johnson v. Board of Police Com'rs, 351 F.Supp.2d 929 (E.D.Mo. 2004). Homeless persons sued a city board of police commissioners and a police captain, claiming harassment with the intent to remove them from a downtown area in violation of their constitutional rights. The district court entered a preliminary injunction on behalf of the plaintiffs. The court barred the continuation of the challenged police practices, which included a pattern of arrests without probable cause, throwing firecrackers into homeless...