A 23-year-old YouTuber and activist has sued the City of Beverly Hills, alleging his civil rights were violated during 2020 arrests connected with his participation in Black Lives Matter protests.
James Butler, also known as James Kweisi, who has over 300,000 followers on YouTube, filed his suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday. It alleged, in addition to civil rights violations, battery, false imprisonment, unlawful arrest and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The suit sought unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
“The city of Beverly Hills has a long and well-documented history of racial profiling and discriminatory police practices against African Americans,” the complaint stated.
Butler identifies as Black and is founder of the Black Future Project, a group that has described itself as “BIPOC Gen-Z/Millennial led” organization promoting anti-racism and police reform.
According to the complaint, the City of Beverly Hills issued an emergency ordinance in June 2020 limiting public assemblies to not exceed 10 people between the hours of 9 p.m. and 8 a.m.
In response, Butler and the Black Future Project organized a protest in the city later that month that boasted about 100 participants assembled on Santa Monica Boulevard after 9 p.m. Butler and 25 other participants were reportedly arrested by Beverly Hills police for violating the emergency ordinance.
The city filed misdemeanor charges against Butler for the incident, but a judge later dismissed those charges.
Butler organized another demonstration in July 2020—a march from Beverly Hills High School to Santa Monica Boulevard. The march took place before the 9 p.m. curfew, but Butler said he was nevertheless handcuffed and detained by multiple officers.
"The BHPD officers violently slammed Butler to the ground and pushed his face into the concrete roadway while placing a knee on the back of Butler's neck," the suit alleged.
The suit alleged police then attempted to justify Butler’s arrest by writing a fabricated incident report to the L.A. District Attorney’s Office, alleging Butler was uncooperative and aggressive toward officers.
The suit alleged that report was intended to convince prosecutors to file felony criminal charges against Butler for assaulting an officer of the peace.
Ultimately, Butler was released after the D.A.’s office declined to pursue charges.
This is the most recent in a spate of lawsuits filed against Beverly Hills in 2021 alleging civil rights violations and discrimination. In August, Black plaintiffs sued the city over allegations of racial profiling by BHPD officers patrolling Rodeo Drive.
