LOS ANGELES - The City of Los Angeles and a councilman were brought to federal court by the African Firefighters in Benevolent Association for alleged free speech and other civil rights violations.
The complaint was filed on April 23 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Los Angeles Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson was named a defendant in the case and Jabari Jumaane is also a plaintiff.
The plaintiffs and defendants entered into a license agreement to use Fire Station 54 on Crenshaw Boulevard in Los Angeles for various community activities including CPR training, a farmers market and African American cultural awareness programs.
The plaintiffs allegedly experienced more than a year of conflict with the councilman during a project meant to preserve a cultural section of Crenshaw Blvd. that actually posed many adverse impacts to the AFIBA Center at Fire Station 54. The councilman has changed the locks on the station.
AFIBA and Jumaane accuse the defendants of failing to include key Crenshaw community figures in their discussions about the supposed cultural preservation project.
According to the plaintiffs, Hariss-Dawson revoked AFIBA's license to use Fire Station 54 in retaliation to AFIBA and Jumaane's vocalization of how the project would impact the community after 20 years of inhabiting the station.
The defendants are accused of First Amendment Right to Free Speech violation, Fourteenth Amendment Right to Due Process violation, conspiracy to violate civil rights and multiple California Constitution violations.
The plaintiffs are represented by the Mobley Law Office PC.