RNC Protester to File Lawsuit

I've been relatively quiet on the RNC protests because for the most part I've been unable to separate free speech violations from acts of civil disobedience, but the casual overuse of foam-tipped plastic rounds, like the casual use of Tasers, is troubling:

Mick Kelly is one of the organizers of the September first anti-war march, and has already sued the city this year after being arrested for passing out leaflets outside a Barack Obama campaign rally.

He said he was struck by a foam-tipped round from a police weapon during a September 4 protest in St. Paul. Authorities blocked a march from the Capitol to downtown St. Paul that evening.

As the image of Kelly's bruise demonstrates, these nonlethal rounds, while foam-tipped, aren't exactly Nerf balls. In Ireland, at least 14 people (including seven children) have died after being shot by these "nonlethal" rounds since police began using them there in 1973.

The purpose of nonlethal rounds has historically been to replace bullets--not to allow police to use violence in situations where they otherwise wouldn't (as was done in one recent case where police Tasered a 16-year-old 19 times because he made "incoherent statements" while lying on the sidewalk with a broken back). If the fear of lawsuits is what it takes for police to end the casual use of nonlethal weapons, so be it.

Related: Torture is Not Just a Post-9/11 Issue