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In 2017 a homeless Black man was pepper-sprayed and arrested on the steps at the steps of Northhampton, MA city hall. Eric Matlock is now seeking $700,000 in damages from the city and local officials after he was acquitted of several charges related to the case last year Gazettenet reported.

The complaint claims police used “excessive force” in the arrest and engaged in a “concerted and coordinated program of arresting (Matlock) repeatedly and charging him and his wife with things that were not crimes,” after the incident at City Hall. Matlock’s attorney, Dana Goldblatt, alleges officers targeted Matlock “because he is of African American and indigenous descent.”

The complaint names the city, police department, Mayor David Narkewicz, Police Chief Jody Kasper, and Police Officers Clay Delano, Brent Dzialo, Andrew Carney, Kenneth Kirchner and Andrew Kohl. According to the news outlet, the city has six months to respond to the complaint before any civil action can be filed in court.

The city has six months to respond to the complaint before any civil action can be filed in court, according to state law. In addition to seeking $100,000 on each of the seven claims, Matlock is asking for handwritten apologies and admissions of wrongdoing from the individual defendants.

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