Man sues Westminster over his removal from City Council meeting

A man has sued Westminster, claiming his First Amendment rights of free speech were violated when the mayor silenced him during a City Council meeting and had him arrested.

Eric Brandt filed the federal lawsuit Tuesday seeking injunctive relief and compensatory damages and costs, claiming that he has the right to speak about an important public issue: "police abuses."

"Many officers have arrested him due to their personal dislike of him stemming from the fact that wherever he goes in Westminster, he carries a very large, handmade sign that reads: '(Expletive) the cops,' " the lawsuit filed by Denver attorney David Lane says.

On Aug. 11, Brandt began to talk of his concerns about the police during a segment of the meeting in which citizens are given five minutes to speak out.

When Brandt began talking about "police brutality," Mayor Herb Atchison interrupted Brandt and told him to stop talking about police brutality, the lawsuit says.

When Brandt refused to stop speaking about the subject, Atchison ordered Westminster police Officer Paul E. Newton to arrest Brandt.

At that point, Newton arrested Brandt and removed him from the council chambers, the lawsuit says.

Brandt was charged with resisting arrest and obstructing a police officer, which were later dismissed, the lawsuit says.

"He was denied his rights under the First Amendment as he was arrested in retaliation for his protected speech and he was also denied the right to petition his government for redress of grievances," the lawsuit says.

Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, kmitchell@denverpost.com or twitter.com/kirkmitchell, denverpost.com/coldcases

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Man sues Westminster over his removal from City Council meeting