A Minneapolis Roosevelt High School teacher who was violently detained by federal agents outside the school in January has filed a claim against the government. It’s the first step in the complex process of suing the federal government for violating people’s Constitutional rights.

Teacher Quentin Williams was outside Roosevelt High School on Jan. 7 as federal agents confronted students and staff on the school's front lawn. Williams was pushed and shoved to the ground by agents, according to his account and body camera footage associated with the case.

The claim states Williams didn’t threaten or resist agents but was held down by multiple agents, slammed into the ground and choked. During the drive to Whipple Federal Building, Williams says agents laughed about Renee Good’s killing by an ICE agent earlier that morning and told him, “hopefully we don’t have to kill you, too.”

Williams was charged with a felony for assaulting a federal agent, which federal prosecutors later dismissed. The claim alleges that prosecutors pursued the charges against Williams despite possessing video evidence that contradicted the federal agents’ accounts.

Williams’ name and face were also splashed across social media accounts controlled by federal officials, including on the X account of then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Homeland Security. Those allegations by the government remain online.

Williams said in a statement he feels blessed to be alive.

“Every day, I look forward to going to school to be with my kids at Roosevelt. Some days are harder than others, but I am trying my hardest to heal,” Williams said. “I hope this next step in seeking justice will hold someone accountable for what happened to me.”

Attorneys with the MacArthur Justice Center are representing Williams in the claim. Attorney Danielle Berkowsky said Williams fiercely cares for his students and his “case is indicative of this federal government’s complete disregard for civil rights and basic humanity.”

“In a country that lets this happen, nobody is safe,” Berkowsky said. “We must hold the federal government accountable.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The government has six months to respond to the claim. After that, Williams is allowed to file a lawsuit.

Collected from Minnesota Public Radio News. View original source here.