cops raid blues again/ third world lesbians and gays protest violence

Lawyer Mitchell Karp told oob that Blues has hired a new lawyer to represent the bar and the injured patrons. The plan is to "...focus now on developing a strong community response that will monitor the investigation and litigation of the police, as well as support the patrons," said Karp. The patrons are unsure whether they will sue the city for a breach of duty in its management of employees and of abusing citizens, or whether they want to sue for damages, citing a denial of civil rights. Suing the city would mean they would get little money, since the jury would see them as only bruised. However it might prove easier because they would not be required to identify individual police; a difficult chore since they were being beaten during most of their interactions with the police. Suing through the federal courts would mean that the patrons could get extensive punitive damages, but that they would have to identify individual officers. But this direction would raise the civil liberties issue, and would emphasize stopping police from harassing Black lesbians and gay men. "Patrons see that battle as key," Mitchell Karp told oob.