http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8753Q7G1.htmlAnti-war activists arrested near President Bush's Crawford ranch last year are filing a civil lawsuit claiming police conspired to violate their free speech rights.
Lawyers for the Texas Civil Rights Project said they sent the lawsuit naming the Texas Department of Public Safety, McLennan County and Crawford city officials to the U.S. District Court in Waco on Tuesday. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages and an injunction to prevent the arrest of future demonstrators.
The activists met a blockade of DPS troopers, county sheriff's deputies and Crawford police officers. They were arrested for violating a Crawford ordinance requiring 15 days notice and a $25 permit fee for protests inside the city limits. All five spent the night in jail, according to the lawsuit.
Charges against the protesters were dropped in September after a McLennan County judge found the ordinance they allegedly violated unconstitutional. Since the arrests, Crawford officials have amended the ordinance to require a seven-day notice.