Prominent Civil Rights Attorneys to Announce Plans to File Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit Against University of Colorado

Colorado-based civil rights attorneys Perry Sanders, Jr. and Robert J. Frank will returned to the University of Colorado-Boulder on Wednesday, May 10, to announce plans to file a federal civil rights lawsuit against the university. The lawsuit is based on the actions of the CU Police Department during and after the recent April 20 pro-marijuana event on Farrand Field.

Certain students at the university have retained the services of Mr. Sanders and his sometime associate, Robert J. Frank, in this matter. A press conference will be held at 1 p.m. at the northeast corner of Farrand Field on the CU-Boulder campus to announce the details of the lawsuit.
 
"We offered the University an olive branch," said Mr. Sanders. "We, on behalf of clearly innocent students, asked them to take down the Web site and purge information related to it. We advised that the University would continue to harm these individuals if they acted on any of this information. The University not only rejected the olive branch, but picked up their bully club during finals and began telling students to come into the police station for questioning.

"Our clients were not pictured smoking, were not smoking and are not even listed as 'identified,'" Mr. Sanders said, "yet the police called them today (Tuesday) and demanded that they come to the station for questioning. The current actions of the CU Police are having the intended effect of inflicting emotional distress on students taking very serious finals at a very serious University.

"When I was asked today by a CU police officer if I would accept a summons on behalf of one of the students or did the CU police need to pursue a warrant, I came a bit unglued," Mr. Sanders said. "The officer had been advised by the student of the student’s innocence and that she had scientific proof of that innocence. Nothing in her photo showed anything to the contrary. For the police to still persist and be talking warrants for arrest is over the top and begs for a civil lawsuit to be filed. It is a shame that police arrogance and insensitivity will result in litigation.
 
"We were not advocating a federal civil rights suit, we were advocating peace," continued Mr. Sanders. "The University has forced our hand in this matter."
 
Robert J. Frank will also advise students of their rights in the ongoing investigation being conducted by the University.
"The CUPD is currently calling students whose photographs appear on the Web site and demanding that they come down and speak with them," said Mr. Sanders. "As Mr. Frank will advise, no student is required to speak with the police and no student can be forced to talk to the police without legal representation.
 
"What is shameful in this situation," Mr. Sanders reiterated, "is that these students -- many of whom were not photographed smoking anything -- are being harassed and intimidated during finals period. One student was clearly in tears when we spoke. The CUPD is causing emotional distress and we believe they are doing so intentionally. Their initial 4/20 actions can no longer be construed in the light of good faith and their actions are clearly not content neutral. They are now trying to use police, acting under color of authority, to intimidate people who peacefully exercised their constitutional right to lawfully express themselves."
  
Contact: Mason Tvert, SAFER campaign director, 720-255-4340

Watch the Boulder, Clorado April 20th celebration on video here at Pot.tv and see students practice their right to disobey unjust laws!

Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) is a Colorado-based non-profit organization whose mission is to educate the public about the harmful consequences associated with alcohol, as compared to the safer—yet illegal—substance: marijuana.