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Daniel Martinez was walking with a crowd of protesters against President Donald Trump, carrying a Mexican flag shortly after the 2016 election, when police allegedly tackled him and secured his wrists in "zip-strip" handcuffs.
In a $76,000 lawsuit, Martinez alleges that police mistook him for a suspect who had vandalized a car days before—but the actual suspect was a black man who "bore no resemblance to Mr. Martinez."
The suit says Martinez told officers the handcuffs were too tight, but his concerns went ignored. He says he suffered injuries to his knees, chest, left shoulder and nerve damage in his wrists.
The crowd yelled at the officers, the suit says, but Martinez asked the crowd to remain peaceful and not "over-react."
Martinez today sued Multnomah County, the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, the City of Portland, and the Portland police in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
The suit joins a growing pile of legal challenges to police use of force against protesters.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon took the city to court for kettling hundreds of protesters at a June 4, 2017 protest. The ACLU of Oregon is also representing six protesters who sued Portland police for excessive use of force at a protest in City Hall and several other protests since late 2016. More recently, two protesters have filed tort claims declaring their intent to sue the cops for injuries they suffered after being hit with riot control agents on Aug. 4.