Seattle Teacher Pepper-Sprayed at Peaceful Protest Files Claim Against City

Seattle high school teacher, activist and Common Dreams contributor Jesse Hagopian, who was pepper sprayed by police during a peaceful rally on Martin Luther King Day, filed a claim against the city and the police department Wednesday afternoon with the Seattle NAACP.

Click Here: NRL Telstra Premiership

Hagopian, who teaches at Garfield High School and is a well-known activist in Seattle, says he had just finished giving a speech at the January 19 rally and was walking to his 2-year-old son’s birthday party, while on the phone with his mother, when he was sprayed.

In a video of the incident, Hagopian can be seen walking past several police officers while on the phone; seconds later, one officer unleashes a torrent of pepper spray at the marchers, seemingly unprovoked, hitting Hagopian in the face and others nearby.