Opinion ID: 6111840
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The protest

Text: In July 2018, protestors, including Williamson, performed a “die-in” at a city council meeting in National City, related to the death of Earl McNeil, a black man who died in police custody. 2 At a predetermined time, the protestors disrupted the meeting by chanting, and several of them made their way toward the public speaking podium and city council members. After showing the city council members their “bloody hands,” six protesters lay down on the ground near the podium, keeping their red-painted hands raised and chanting “I am Earl McNeil,” and “you have blood on your hands.” Several other people associated with the protest remained in the audience showing painted red hands, chanting, and video-recording the demonstration. The mayor called for order, but the protesters refused to stop their demonstration, and the council meeting was adjourned. A few minutes after the protest began, National City police officers informed the protesters that they would be arrested if they did not leave the podium area. When the six protesters ignored repeated requests to leave, the officers 1 Given the procedural posture of this case, we present the facts in the light most favorable to Williamson. Ames v. King County, 846 F.3d 340, 347 (9th Cir. 2017). However, “[w]e do not credit a party’s version of events that the record, such as an unchallenged video recording of the incident, ‘quite clearly contradicts.’” Rice v. Morehouse, 989 F.3d 1112, 1120 (9th Cir. 2021) (quoting Scott v. County of San Bernardino, 903 F.3d 943, 952 (9th Cir. 2018)); see also Scott v. Harris, 550 U.S. 372, 380–81 (2007). McNeil’s death was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner. See 2 DA Releases Video of Earl McNeil’s Detention by National City Police, NBC News San Diego, Sept. 22, 2018. 6 WILLIAMSON V. CITY OF NATIONAL CITY began arresting them. The protesters had previously agreed that, if arrested, they would act as dead weight and refuse to cooperate with being removed. The six protestors followed through with this agreement, and officers pulled or carried each of them out.