VERONA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nexus Derechos Humanos announced today it has filed a lawsuit on behalf of plaintiff Melissa Duncan against the Harrisonburg Police Department. Asserting racially-driven police brutality, 5th and 8th amendment violations and the setting of excessive bail, the suit was announced at the Nexus headquarters.
“Race relations in this country continue to present a crisis of conscience. Although things have improved significantly, we still suffer far too many incidents of bigotry, discrimination and police brutality,” said Mike Donovan, CEO of Nexus Services, Inc. “Simply put, malevolent behavior cannot be tolerated, and people need to be held accountable.”
In December of last year, Harrisonburg police responded to a noise complaint at a private residence. After warning attendees at the gathering, they returned a second time when things quickly grew out of control and escalated into violence. Melissa Duncan, one of the women in attendance, was attacked, tased, and retroactively accused of attacking police. A cell phone video captured onsite tells a very different story, leaving one with more questions than answers. Why were five police officers needed to respond to a single-residence noise complaint? Why would an officer feel compelled to place a woman with no weapon into a chokehold? And why were tasers used on defenseless party attendees? It’s clear that neither Melissa, nor anyone at the party, attacked the police. It’s just as clear that law enforcement used excessive force and violently subdued defenseless people.
In addition to the unacceptable violence, the police appear to have violated several laws and infringed upon her personal rights, including entering her home illegally (5th Amendment) and slapping her with excessive bail (8th amendment).
Nexus Services and the pro bono law firm it supports, Derechos Humanos, has a long history of defending those who need it most. They will fight strenuously in the court of law, as well as the court of public opinion, against these abuses and combat injustice at every turn.
Nexus Services, Inc. is a leading provider of immigrant bond securitization and of services provided to detained individuals. The organization funds Nexus Derechos Humanos Attorneys, Inc. as a part of its corporate giving to increase access to justice for disadvantaged people across the United States. http://www.nexushelps.com/
Nexus Derechos Humanos Attorneys Inc. is a civil-rights law firm funded by Nexus Services Inc. Nexus Derechos Humanos is committed to holding public officials accountable for placing money or politics above the lives of human beings, protecting due-process rights to be free from government coercion and demanding justice and enforcement of hard-won civil rights. https://www.ndhlawyers.com
