Chicago groups sue to bar federal agents from protest duties
July 23, 2020 11:01AM AKDT
By KATHLEEN FOODY Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) — A collection of Chicago activist groups want a judge to block federal agents sent to the city to combat violent crime from interfering in or policing protests. In a lawsuit filed Thursday, the groups say the surge will inhibit residents’ ability to hold demonstrations. The suit names Attorney General William Barr along with the heads of other federal agencies whose agents are part of the surge plan announced at the White House on Wednesday. The announcement did little to calm some Chicago residents’ fear that the agents’ presence will lead to the kind of violent clashes seen between demonstrators and federal agents dispatched to Portland by President Donald Trump.