Community Corner
'F-The Police' Earns Woman $100,000
Lawsuit alleges Amy Barnes' First Amendment rights were violated in arrest, solitary confinement on misdemeanor.
Cobb County, Ga. — A woman has won a $100,000 judgment against the the county following her 2012 arrest and detention in solitary confinement for allegedly swearing at police, WSB-TV says.
Amy Barnes was riding her bicycle on April 8, Easter Sunday, to get butter from the store when she allegedly cursed and flipped off two Cobb police officers, WSB-TV says.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Barnes, a political activist, shouted “F- the police” as the two officers were questioning a black man near Marietta.
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Reason.com reported that a dashcam video from the police car captures one cop’s reaction: “That ain’t happening.”
Barnes was arrested for disorderly conduct for her shouts, and police allegedly placed her in solitary confinement for 23 hours because Barnes is hearing impaired, according to WSB-TV.
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Following her release, Barnes sued the department on the grounds that arrest and period in solitary confinement over swearing at police violated her First Amendment rights.
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