CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) — Carmel Mayor James Brainard has decided to put his idea to sue Minneapolis on hold.
Brainard on Monday announced his intent to sue the city, saying, “but for the negligence of the police department in that city, many communities, including Carmel, would not have incurred the costs of responding to the resulting riots and looting.”
However, he changed his mind later on Monday and put the plan on hold.
He also issued a Disaster Emergency Declaration. A news release said, “This was done to enable the city to take swift action against the threat of civil unrest should it need to do so.”
The declaration came shortly after a peaceful protest Monday along the Monon Greenway.
In regard to the proposed lawsuit, Brainard issued this statement in a post on Facebook about 8:30 p.m.:
“After some additional consideration, I have decided to put on hold the idea of a lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis. I still feel that the Minneapolis Police Department was recklessly negligent, given the officer’s disciplinary history, in allowing him to remain in uniform patrolling the streets of Minneapolis. My intent was to send a message that their negligence cost many lives and millions in property damage across the country.
“America has a long history of correcting behavior through the legal system and I felt this would be another opportunity to do so.
“This is not about inflicting more pain to the good people of Minneapolis. It is about sending a message to its leaders and to leaders of across the U.S. that we will no longer tolerate the violence and damage that results from their inability or unwillingness to treat all people with respect.”
