FORT WAYNE, Ind — A man who lost his eye while protesting police brutalityis now suing the city of Fort Wayne.
Balin Brake's right eye was destroyed when police fired a gas canister and it ruptured his eye and fractured his facial bones in four places.
The lawsuit claims excessive force was used to stop the 21-year-old's protesting, and that it violated his First and Fourth Amendment rights.
On May 30, Brake was protesting at the Allen County Courthouse over the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers when he was hit with the canister. The lawsuit claims the protest was peaceful at the point he was hit. Brake was rushed to the hospital and doctors were forced to remove his eye during surgery.
“FWPD have shown a reckless indifference to constitutional rights in their attempt to deprive the Fort Wayne community of their right to free speech, leaving Mr. Brake with a permanent loss of vision in his right eye,” said Jane Henegar, executive director at the ACLU of Indiana. “The right to protest is fundamental to our democracy and no one should face tear gassing and injury while exercising that right.”
To read more on the complaint, click here. NOTE: The complaint contains an image of Brake in the hospital after being injured that some might find too intense.
