BLM Protestor Sues Police After Her Nose Was Ripped Off When She Was Shot In The Face

Elise Poole took to the streets with her fellow citizens on 31 May, nearly a week after Floyd was killed in Minnesota.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has lodged the lawsuit on behalf of Poole and names the City of Lincoln, Lancaster County, former Lincoln Police Chief Jeffrey Bliemeister, Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner and two unidentified officers as defendants.

The ACLU says pepper bullets and tear gas were used to disperse the crowd, despite them not posing a 'security threat'.

In the legal challenge, it's argued 'an impact munition' severed Elise's 'nose from her face'.

The traumatic injury caused Ms Poole to attend a nearby hospital for 'emergency reconstructive surgery'.

The ACLU will say in court that the "officers' indiscriminate and excessive force violated the constitutional rights of Poole and others who were gathered in peaceful protest and not posing any safety threat."

"It was never justified, and it was never acceptable. We brought this lawsuit because we share Elise's conviction that we need to make sure this never happens again.

"There's no way for this community to move forward toward justice without accountability."

The union argued there needed to be a civilian oversight board at every police department that 'would oversee and evaluate police standards and practices'.

They also called for a statutory reform of the 'use of force', arguing there needed to be a limitation on the use of chokeholds and strangleholds, as well as a standardised system that permits an officer to intervene when a colleague is using excessive force.

The ACLU has also called for a limitation on police surveillance and for departments to explain what technology is being used.