Jury Rejects Claim Of Excessive Force By Cops At ’97 Protest

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — A federal jury has ruled in New York's favor in a lawsuit filed by American Indians who claimed state troopers used excessive force while breaking up an anti-tax protest nearly 20 years ago.

The Post-Standard of Syracuse reports (http://bit.ly/2dX5j29 ) the nine-person jury on Tuesday rejected the claims of 12 plaintiffs who said the troopers violated their rights while quelling the protest held in May 1997 along Interstate 81 on the Onondaga Nation, just south of Syracuse.

The verdict came after three days of deliberations in a lawsuit that initially involved nearly 100 plaintiffs. Most of the plaintiffs settled with the state in June for $2.7 million.

Lawyers for the state argued that the troopers were justified in subduing and arresting some of the protesters because they were blocking I-81 and endangering public safety.

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Information from: The Post-Standard, http://www.syracuse.com

[STORY BY: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS]