News

First Aid Volunteers Injured During May Day Clash are Suing Seattle Officers

Jennifer Sullivan

07/23/2015

July 23--Two volunteer medics injured during Seattle's May Day protests are suing several high-ranking Seattle police and a group of unnamed officers.

Jill Frankie Jurkowski and Aaron Donny-Clark are seeking punitive damages to compensate for their injuries, as well as a permanent injunction prohibiting the group of officers "from using excessive force against peaceful protesters," according to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Tuesday.

The plaintiffs are also seeking "the removal of incendiary devices from the standard weapons the Seattle police use to handle nonviolent crowds," the complaint said.

Jurkowski and Donny-Clark say they were identifiable as medics because they were wearing brightly colored medical cross patches and had tape in the shape of a cross on their backs, according to the complaint.

The two were volunteers for the Puget Sound Medic Collective, which offers "first-aid support, de-escalation, holistic/preventative care, and solidarity," according to its website.

Jurkowski, 34, said she was struck by a blast ball deployed by police while she was treating a patient on Olive Way on Capitol Hill. Shrapnel from "the grenade burned through Jurkowski's pant leg, ripped through Jurkowski's leg and caused large painful hematoma burns," the complaint said.

Jurkowski made it to a friend's house nearby and treated her own wound. She later went to the emergency room and was put on antibiotics. It took about 20 days for the wound to heal over, the complaint said.

Harry Williams, the Seattle attorney representing Jurkowski and Donny-Clark, said in the complaint that Jurkowski was "nonviolent, not interfering with any police activity, not ignoring any police order and acting as a medic" when she was hurt.

Donny-Clark, 32, a military veteran, was also on Capitol Hill when he was struck by "a grenade" deployed by Seattle police, according to the complaint. He suffered injuries to his Achilles tendon, his shin and his thigh, the complaint said.

"The injuries Donny-Clark suffered caused pain and took at least two weeks to heal," the complaint said.

Both plaintiffs claim their Constitutional rights were violated when police intervened in their right to engage in political action and speech. Neither was arrested during the protest.

Jurkowski and Donny-Clark name Assistant Chief Steve Wilske, West Precinct Capt. Chris Fowler, and various John Does in the complaint.

During the protest, some demonstrators vandalized property, hurled projectiles and clashed with police, leaving three officers injured. Sixteen people were arrested, four of whom were accused of assaulting officers.

Some actions by police are also under review.

In the aftermath of the protests, Seattle City Councilmember Bruce Harrell, who chairs the Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee, questioned the department's use of blast balls loaded with pepper spray, which can cause burns.

Pierce Murphy, director of the Police Department's Office of Professional Accountability (OPA), which conducts internal investigations, said after the May Day protests that he planned to look into the department's use of blast balls.

On Wednesday, he clarified that statement to say "we have a couple of OPA investigations" having to do with the use of blast balls.

Seattle Times news researcher Miyoko Wolf contributed to this report. Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this report. Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @SeattleSullivan.