Plaintiffs in lawsuit allege they were terrorized for more than 90 minutes as at least 40 vehicles encircled the bus

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19575830

Plaintiffs in lawsuit allege they were terrorized for more than 90 minutes as at least 40 vehicles encircled the bus

A jury trial opening in Austin, Texas, on Monday will seek to hold Trump supporters accountable for allegedly ambushing a Joe Biden-Kamala Harris campaign bus on the state’s main highway in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege they were terrorised and intimidated for more than 90 minutes as they took a bus tour canvassing for the Democratic ticket in the final days of the election.

At least 40 vehicles flying Make America great again flags formed themselves into a so-called “Trump Train” and encircled the bus, trying to run it off the road and playing what the suit claims was a “madcap game of highway ‘chicken’”.

The plaintiffs, who include the bus driver, a Biden campaign staffer and Wendy Davis, the former Texas senator and Democratic gubernatorial candidate, say they were forced to cancel campaign events for fear that the intimidation would be repeated. They are pursuing punitive damages under both Texas law and the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, a federal statute from the Reconstruction period designed to end political violence and voter intimidation.

  • Shawdow194
    14•2 months ago

    That afternoon the then president’s son, Don Trump Jr, posted on Twitter (now X) an invitation to Trump supporters to assemble. He wrote: “It would be great if you guys would all get together and head down to McAllen and give Kamala Harris a nice Trump Train welcome. Get out there. Have some fun. Enjoy it.”

    • @tacosplease
      12•2 months ago

      Four years before STARTING trial… I’m not a lawyer, but it seems like justice shouldn’t take so long if we want our laws to discourage bad behavior.

      Not sure what the solution is, but something needs to change before we all realize it’s The Purge rules for anyone with a terminal illness.

      • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppetEnglish
        5•2 months ago

        let’s wait until the guy who prevented us from prosecuting this stuff is almost back in office

        Seems like a horrible strategy

  • @jpreston2005
    10•2 months ago

    The occupants of the bus pleaded with police to provide an escort but none appeared. A separate case, Cervini v Stapp, was settled in October with local law enforcement admitting that they had fallen short of their standards and agreeing to pay compensation to those whose safety they failed to protect.

    Police don’t care about you. But especially if you’re a democrat.

    from a separate article discussing the secondary settlement reached between plaintiffs and the police department that failed to protect them

    Startling evidence from this case included 9-1-1 recordings and text messages between City of San Marcos employees, which revealed that instead of appropriately responding to distress calls or communications from a neighboring jurisdiction warning that the campaign bus needed assistance, officials joked about the Plaintiffs’ pleas for help, called them offensive names, and/or made fun of their reaction to the dangerous situation.

    Intimidation, threats, and violence are the hallmarks of republicans. They’re despicable cowards, the lot of them, hiding behind their patriot front hoods, bragging about their mob violence. Root them out, jail them. Make their trials public.