On July 5, 2016, a black man named Alton Sterling was held to the ground and shot at close range by two Baton Rouge police officers. He died. 

On July 10, 2016, we assembled in Baton Rouge. Thirteen of us were there as peaceful protesters, there to seek justice for Alton. Two of us were there as reporters, hoping to record the community's voice. 

The police did not want our voices to be heard. They swept in and arrested us, even though we were peacefully standing on private property. They grabbed us by the throat, threw us to the ground. 

They arrested one of us, a seventeen-year-old girl watching over her five-year-old brother. They then arrested their mother, who was trying to get back to her children. They put the seventeen-year-old and her mother in an adult prison, sent her brother to child protective services, and put their dog in the pound.

We are suing the City of Baton Rouge and the law enforcement officers who did this to us. Our goal is accountability and justice. We want to make sure that a message goes out to every police department in America - you cannot do this. We will not let you do this. 

Funds raised on CrowdJustice will pay for the out-of-pocket costs of this lawsuit, but not lawyers fees. For example, the funds will pay for depositions of the police officers involved to get to the truth of who ordered the unconstitutional arrests, or for police practice experts to explain to the jury how dangerous these police activities were.