Four Memphians have sued a number of federal and local government officials, claiming that the Memphis Safe Task Force has established a culture of retaliation against anyone that records/reports task force operations.
Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche, Memphis Safe Task Force Commander Chad Hunt, US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy are among the defendants.
Task force agents are accused in the lawsuit of verbally intimidating, halting, and unjustly detaining observers in retaliation.
Hunter Demster, one of the plaintiffs, released a statement:
“The Memphis Safe Task Force is causing real harm to my friends and neighbors, and recording their abuses is one way to seek accountability and justice. The fact that I’ve been followed, threatened, and retaliated against for exercising my rights should concern everyone who cares about the First Amendment.”
The plaintiffs are requesting that the court find the MSTF to have violated their First Amendment rights and mandate that the task force “expunge all records.”
