Police Sued for Acts Against Deaf Mother and Twin Daughters

*Trigger warning: Police.
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and McLetchie Law, on behalf of Andrea “Dre” Hollingsworth and her eleven-year old twin daughters, filed a complaint yesterday asking a federal judge to order the North Las Vegas Police Department (NLVPD) to cease unlawful and discriminatory practices. The complaint also asks NLVPD to implement policies and procedures that will ensure effective communication and a meaningful opportunity to participate in and benefit from NLVPD’s services. The complaint seeks damages for the harm Ms. Hollingsworth and her young daughters experienced when the police created an unnecessarily traumatic encounter.
Original PR: www.nad.org/2021/12/22/police...
[Video Desc. & Transcript: Howard Rosenblum stands in the middle of the screen with a black backdrop.
(A black screen appeared with a white text, “TRIGGER WARNING POLICE”)
HOWARD: The NAD and the McLetchie Law Group (based in Nevada) are working together to represent Andrea "Dre" Hollingsworth and her eleven-year-old twin daughters. We filed a lawsuit against the North Las Vegas Police Department (NLVPD). One night, Dre and her twin daughters were sitting in their parked car. They hadn't violated any laws such as driving through a red light or speeding. They were simply sitting in their car. All of the sudden, NLVPD cars surrounded their car. A police officer approached Dre while wearing a mask. Dre repeatedly informed the officer she was deaf. The masked police officer continued to speak and demanded her eleven-year-old twin daughters to interpret. The situation was stressful, emotional, and traumatic -- it was too much for Dre's daughters, let alone interpret. The police used force and removed Dre from her car and handcuffed her hands behind her back and laid her on the ground. The situation escalated quickly but eventually the police realized Dre did not violate any laws and let her go. Even though that was over, doesn't mean no action should be taken. The NAD and the McLetchie Law Group filed a lawsuit against NLVPD for Dre and her eleven-year-old twin daughters because the NLVPD handled the situation terribly. They did not provide any communication access and forced Dre's eleven-year-old twin daughters to interpret a traumatic situation. This is illegal. We hope the lawsuit will set a positive precedent to ensure that the police cannot require family members, especially children, to interpret, and instead get a qualified professional American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter. We also expect the police to treat deaf and hard of hearing people with respect during any situation.]