In a Monday notice to the court, the four Memphis residents represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who are suing over claims they faced retaliation from the Memphis Safe Task Force (MSTF) due to Tennessee’s law making it a crime to stand within 25 feet of police after being ordered to move, confirmed their litigation will directly challenge the constitutionality of the law.Â
The lawsuit filed on Wednesday accuses the MSTF of maintaining an unconstitutional policy, pattern, and practice of retaliation against individuals in the city who observe, gather information, and record the task force’s operations in public, alleging that law enforcement has engaged in harassment, surveillance, intimidation, unreasonable stops, and abuses of Tennessee’s Halo Law, which made it a Class B misdemeanor to intentionally approach or remain within 25 feet of a law enforcement officer after being ordered to move.Â
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