Mayor Buffalos a Citizen, Federal Lawsuit Follows

[XLFD]

Back in 2021, a Michigan citizen was verbally accosted by a mayor at a city council meeting, a mayor who had the police usher the citizen out of the meeting under the guise that the citizen was creating a disturbance.  The police would later fabricate a fantastic story on the police report describing what happened, but with minimal basis in reality.  The citizen would file a lawsuit.

If this sounds familiar as to what happened to this author in Scottville last May (detailed here) with Mayor Marcy Spencer and Police Chief Matt Murphy doing their parts.  After I had filed a nine-count lawsuit with a variety of state claims against the City and several of its officers, I received a police report during discovery where Murphy greatly contradicted the reports that I and the Ludington Daily News' reporter Riley Kelly published after the meeting which recounted the actual reality of the situation. 

But my ordeal was not unique, another incident very much like mine happened down in New Buffalo, where a woman named Laura Murray was taken out of October meeting of the New Buffalo city council before she could get through her comment.  Unlike the meeting in Scottville a video survives of what happened that night:

Laura Murray owns a house in New Buffalo who spoke against a ban of short term rentals at that meeting. She was kicked out at the order of Mayor John Humphrey after mentioning him in her comments in what most would consider inoffensive.  Reading a prepared statement in even-handed tone and sentiment, Murray mentions a "power hungry mayor with a personal vendetta", at which point Mayor John Humphrey gavels her down and says she is out of order.

She continues with other points about short term rentals for nearly a minute until she again mentions the mayor:  "Fact: the mayor has strategically tried to control..."  At this point, Humphrey wields the gavel once again, and asks police to please escort Ms. Murray from the building, saying she's out of order, and then tries to explain why in some convoluted reasoning.  She leaves without incident when approached by the officer. Murray does raise her voice slightly as she continues to read her statement while walking out.  An ally of Murray tries to make further comments, but Humphrey indicates he cannot have the three minutes of public comment allowed to all.

A report on the meeting by local law enforcement officials does not match what is seen on the video of the event.  The police report characterized Murray as engaging in disorderly conduct and yelling, before she was forced out by officers.  The report, written by the officer removing her from the podium, has one section labeled “disorderly conduct.” That part of the report says Murray began “raising her voice” and singled out members of the city council. It says she “continued yelling and speaking in a loud tone” until the mayor ordered her removal lest she “continue to create disturbances.”  

The video indicates otherwise.  The city and mayor are being sued by Laura Murray, who says her First Amendment rights were violated when she was physically removed from a city council meeting by two police officers. The officers acted at the mayor’s behest, she said, during her peaceful testimony opposing the ordinance.  Murray says she was stunned when Humphrey called her out of order, and then had her physically removed.

Through FOIA requests and discovery used for this lawsuit and another suit, filed May 25, 2021 by a group of 17 property owners who say their property rights are being violated, they have uncovered a rather bold text from the mayor to the city manager about Ms. Murray, where the mayor writes:

“But we really need to do something about this woman, because people are believing her and gonna burn this town down, at very least you need to email her go over point by point how she’s an idiot, without publicly humiliating her this will continue.”

The federal lawsuit underway has a very good chance of winning a big payout to Ms. Murray, almost as good a chance as if I had launched a federal lawsuit against Mayor Spencer, Matt Murphy, and the City of Scottville for their more egregious violation of my basic civil rights when I was ejected from a meeting for holding a sign showing councilors part of their own city charter.

[Freedom Seeker]

Yeah, the City of Scottville and especially Matt Murphy should be kissing his jack-thug boots that you didn't sue. You should have, imo, then all those city brown-nosers would have a valid argument to say that you are getting rich off suing cities. I hope the lady from New Buffalo wins and the results are picked up by every clichish little berg in Michigan and learn to treat citizens properly and respectfully.

[XLFD]

I am actual very regretful for not retaining an attorney and filing a federal lawsuit against Spencer, Murphy and the City of Scottville for the meeting I was thrown out of; however, it's not because of the payoff being far superior than what I can get filing it in a state court and only claiming Open Meetings Act violations. 

It's because I wouldn't have to deal so personally with the lies that Scottville city officials are spewing in sworn affidavits because they feel they have a friend where the local circuit court judge has shown that her previously ruling for the sheriff in three blaring FOIA violations was not an anomaly.  Judge Susan Sniegowski seems to take some perverse delight in defending the corrupt acts of public officials and not applying any kind of standard to public service by ignoring laws and indisputable facts. 

[Freedom Seeker]

Has the statute of limitations run out?

[XLFD]

To my understanding, there is a 7 year statute of limitations on civil rights violations, so I have plenty of time to figure that out if Judge Sniegowski corruptly decides to find for her peers in this situation.  I would likely look the attorneys up who are helping Laura Murray in this incident, should that transpire.

[Willy]

Good for Laura Murray. Whether you agree or disagree with the issue she is speaking on, she has the right to speak. There seems to be an over abundance of bad City officials who seemed to have been convinced that they were elected to rule, not to serve. It must be human nature and genetically wired into us that people need to be controlled. From pot bellied local officials to international dictators, there seems to be no shortage of rascals who are willing to deny individuals their human rights.