By Heidi Groover
September 25, 2020

A lawsuit filed Friday in King County Superior Court alleges the city of Seattle and Washington state failed to protect protesters from drivers who could hurt or kill them while also allowing protesters to be injured by the police response.

The plaintiffs in the case include the family of Summer Taylor, who was killed by a driver on Interstate 5 in July, and protester Daniel Gregory, who was shot and injured during a demonstration on Capitol Hill in June. 

Other plaintiffs include protesters, live-streamers and a student journalist who say police grabbed them, hit them with explosives like blast balls, or doused them with pepper spray during protests this summer. Along with physical injury, some have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, nightmares and other effects, the complaint says. 

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal actions against the city following a summer of protests that have drawn a heavy police response and national attention. Protesters here have called for cuts to police budgets and more funding for Black-led community organizations. 

Abie Ekenezar, a 41-year-old Navy veteran, said the city of Seattle failed to listen to demonstrators and that she had joined the lawsuit to bring the message and concerns of the protests into the courtroom.

“Money talks,” Ekenezar said. “If this is what we have to do in order to get our message across, and it helps, then other people can follow suit. There were so many people injured.”