Protester files suit against City of Moultrie
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Oct. 27—MOULTRIE, Ga. — A Florida man arrested while protesting outside the Moultrie Municipal Building two years ago has filed suit against the City of Moultrie, the city manager and the officers who arrested him.
Jeffrey Gray, who operates HonorYourOath Civil Rights Investigations, was charged with disorderly conduct July 3, 2019. He was walking on the sidewalk outside the building carrying a sign with a vulgar word: "F— City Hall."
Gray videoed an interaction with Moultrie City Manager Pete Dillard, who came out to see what his issue with the city was. Gray said he didn't have an issue; he just wanted to assert his right to freedom of speech.
The video continues for several minutes as Dillard tries to find a way to resolve the situation, but eventually police officers place Gray under arrest.
Gray's supporters inundated the city government with phone calls, and social media reaction forced the city to shut down its Facebook page for several days.
About a week after the arrest, on July 11, 2019, Moultrie police dropped the charge against him.
On Oct. 1 of this year, Gray filed a complaint in Colquitt County Superior Court alleging the city, Dillard and the four police officers violated his civil rights.
He announced the filing with a video on his YouTube channel Monday, Oct. 25. A note attached to the video blames the delay on COVID-19, which shut down courts for months last year and continues to impact the way they operate.
The complaint seeks compensatory, general and punitive damages as well as damages for pain and suffering, but it does not specify an amount being sought. It also asks that the court declare the city's interpretation of its disorderly conduct ordinance to be unconstitutional.
Paperwork in the case file shows that the individual defendants were notified of the lawsuit between Oct. 6 and 14, but none had filed a response as of Tuesday, Oct. 26.
