This lawsuit charges two Aurora police officers with racial profiling for forcibly removing Omar Hassan, a Black man, from an Aurora coffee shop. He had done nothing wrong. Mr. Hassan had just finished a night shift at work when he stopped at the Caribou Coffee outlet in east Aurora. He was dressed in a hooded sweatshirt, sweatpants, and work boots. The two officers named in the ACLU’s lawsuit followed Mr. Hassan to his table, stood directly over him with their hands on their guns, and ordered him to leave. When Mr. Hassan asked why, Officer Williby responded “Your kind of business is not welcome here.” According to the lawsuit, the officers were acting on their own. The coffee shop’s manager had received no complaints about Mr. Hassan and had not asked police to evict him. The litigation ended with a settlement that awarded monetary compensation to Mr. Hassan.
ACLU Press Releases:
- "ACLU sues Aurora Police for ousting Black man in hoodie from coffee shop," ACLU News Release, September 27, 2017
- "Aurora pays $75K to settle two ACLU police misconduct lawsuits," ACLU News Release, June 28, 2018
Media:
- “Aurora police threw Ethiopian man out of coffee shop without reason," ACLU suit claims,” The Denver Post, September 27, 2017
- “What Can Happen If You're Black, Wear a Hoodie and Buy a Muffin in Aurora,” Westword, September 28, 2017
- “ACLU: Aurora cops booted black man from coffee shop for no reason,” Aurora Sentinel, September 27, 2017
- “Aurora Pays for Doing Bad Things to Black People — Again,” Westword, August 15, 2018
- “APD settles police misconduct claims with two men,” Aurora Sentinel, June 28, 2018
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“Aurora pays out 2 settlements to African American men alleging police mistreatment,” 9 News, June 28, 2018
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“Aurora police settle lawsuits from ACLU Colorado for $75,000 in alleged racial profiling incidents,” The Denver Post, June 28, 2018
