DETROIT – The ACLU of Michigan filed a federal lawsuit today on behalf of Christopher Gibson, a Black man who was pepper sprayed, tasered and brutalized by Warren Police officers in December 2022. The lawsuit says the attacks resulted in Mr. Gibson’s hospitalization for damage to his heart and kidneys. Mr. Gibson and a family member repeatedly informed officers that he was experiencing a mental health emergency and required immediate psychiatric treatment, but officers instead subjected him to abuse.
Found wandering the streets lost, confused and coatless on a winter night, Mr. Gibson was taken into custody because of outstanding warrants related to identity theft.
The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, alleges that Warren police officers violated Mr. Gibson’s Fourteenth Amendment rights through their use of excessive force while he was in their custody. It also alleges that officers violated federal laws designed to protect people with disabilities by failing to provide Mr. Gibson with needed psychiatric care.
The lawsuit, which identifies a pattern of abuse by the Warren Police Department in recent years, seeks compensatory damages, a declaration that the department’s policies and actions related to this case are illegal, and an order barring comparable misconduct in the future.
In addition to filing the lawsuit, the ACLU also released a 10-minute video that uses police bodycam footage to reveal the extent of abuse Mr. Gibson suffered while in the custody of the Warren police.
Christopher Gibson said this:
“Even though I remain afraid of what police might do to me for speaking out about what happened and demanding accountability, I am willing to do so in the hope that it will help prevent other people from having to go through the kind of torture I was subjected to. I feel lucky to have survived all they did to me.”
Mark P. Fancher, staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan’s Racial Justice Project, said this:
“If officers regarded Mr. Gibson’s behavior as problematic, the antidote was not violence. No one should ever face the abusive treatment Mr. Gibson endured. He required compassion and treatment while in the throes of a mental health crisis, which would have made pepper spray, handcuffs, a taser, and brutalization unnecessary. This case makes clear, yet again, why Warren and other police agencies need to have mental health professionals to respond to – and prevent – horrific incidents such as this.”
Syeda Davidson, ACLU of Michigan staff attorney, said this:
“What happened to Mr. Gibson graphically highlights how ill-equipped police officers can be when interacting with people experiencing mental health issues. Mental health experts – not police officers trained to unleash their militaristic mentality – need to be responding to situations like the one Mr. Gibson was facing. Until that happens, tragedies like this, sadly, will continue to occur.”