Philadelphia Civil Rights lawyer

Complaints against the Philadelphia Police Department of racial profiling, police brutality, and other forms of discrimination against the City of Philadelphia and individual police officers are on the rise. It is your civil right to be treated equally and to have personal liberty – having a Philadelphia civil rights violation attorney in these situations where that is not respected is essential for a plethora of reasons.

If you believe that your civil rights have been violated by law enforcement, another government agency, or a private party based on race, color, sex, religion, or national origin, you may have legal recourse. Your best course of action is to contact an experienced civil rights violation attorney without delay.

Racial Profiling has Resulted in Discriminatory Treatment and False Arrests of People of Color

Many of the civil rights complaints arise from racial profiling. Under the Fourth Amendment, police are allowed to stop a citizen only if they reason to believe that the person has committed a crime. In fact, officers have routinely stopped people of color without basis, only to invent a reason afterward. This has resulted in numerous false arrests and great harm to the victims, who have suffered in many ways—financially, psychologically, and socially. They have been humiliated, roughly handled, denied their dignity, and deprived of their freedom for a period of time, only to have the charges dropped in most cases. Some had their kids removed from the home.

Philadelphia Can Be Made to Pay for Discriminatory Practices

Philadelphia has paid out millions of dollars in settlements related to police misconduct. Some examples of police conduct that may be discriminatory include:

• Illegal arrests for loitering
• Wrongful death of suspects at the hands of police
• Police withholding medication from inmates
• Police brutality
• Sexual abuse by police of prison staff
• False arrest
• Excessive use of force
• Retaliatory arrest
• Malicious prosecution
• Cruel and unusual punishment in custody
• Racial profiling
• Targeting people with Middle Eastern features or women wearing a hijab (Islamic headscarf)

How to Get the Help You Need When Your Civil Rights Have Been Violated

You can get the aggressive legal advocacy you need by calling the Law Offices of Jon L. Norinsberg, a Philadelphia firm with more than 30 years of legal experience and a passion for justice and equality. The only way to put a stop to illegal discrimination by the Philadelphia Police Department or others is to hold the wrongdoers accountable for their actions, both criminally and civilly.

A criminal action can result in jail time and other punishments for those who violate the law in their official capacity. Putting them behind bars is important and a strong deterrent; but making victims whole again is also important. You may be able to recover monetary damages as compensation for losses to your finances, your reputation, your mental status, and your quality of life that have resulted from the mistreatment. In some especially egregious cases, a jury might award you punitive damage, designed to punish the perpetrator and deter the behavior in the future.

Call a Philadelphia Civil Rights Attorney to Learn about Your Rights

Standing up to a powerful government with extensive resources is not for the faint of heart, so you will need a Philadelphia police brutality lawyer, like Jon Norinsberg, who has demonstrated again and again that he will not be intimidated in speaking truth to power. He specialized in civil rights cases and is deeply committed to equal justice under the law for everyone and is willing to fight tirelessly to achieve it.

Legal time limits exist for filing a lawsuit against any government entity, including the Philadelphia Police Department, so it is important not to delay in obtaining counsel to avoid missing a filing deadline, which could negatively affect your case. Call the Norinsberg Law Firm today to protect your rights and to do your part in putting an end to illegal and immoral discrimination in Philadelphia.