The City cut the controversial City Hall security list from 84 to 26 names. MPD Director Mike Rallings admitted an error of 58 people.
“We have acknowledged the errors and that’s why were reviewing our practices and policies but again when we won’t get into the specifics of how,” said Rallings.
The people who remained on Wednesday’s list include virtually all of the people on the original list with reasons written next to their names. Those reasons include former employees and people who made threats. Everyone else is gone.
According to Rallings, the revised list resulted after a request from Mayor Strickland for a review.
“Moving forward the Memphis Police will establish protocols for adding and removing names from the security,” Rallings said.
Rallings did not say whether there were any procedures before Strickland’s request or exactly how the “error” occurred. He did say the list was not political.
The controversial security list triggered a second lawsuit earlier Wednesday, filed by a workers’ rights group called Mid-South Organizing Committee and named plaintiff Antonio Cathey.
The suit claims police followed the group through the city after meetings as it dropped off members and videoed the group with iPads during peaceful demonstrations.
“In this case they are not protecting us they are intimidating us,” said member Ashley Cathey.
Video obtained by Local 24, Cathey claims, shows MPD illegally surveilling members of the group on February 6th, allegedly evidencing one of the claims in the lawsuit.
The group’s attorney also spoke with Local 24 about what he contends are outrageous police tactics.
“Anybody regardless of your political views anybody who cares about the constitution and cares about First Amendment rights ought to be extremely alarmed,” said Jerry Martin, the group’s attorney.
The latest lawsuit sues both Strickland or Rallings individually. The city says it is reviewing this second suit. It filed a motion to dismiss the first one Wednesday, stating the people in the first suit lacked legal standing to bring it.
