With great sadness and shock, we learned that our client George Thompson has passed away. He was 53. We represented George in a civil rights lawsuit against a Fall River police officer who arrested George for exercising his First Amendment right to record the officer in public. George was falsely arrested, forced to spend the night in jail, and prosecuted on baseless charges, including violating the Massachusetts wiretap law, all of which were dismissed. The police department seized his phone, and police officers erased all of its contents, which included the video that would have shown the officer’s misconduct. George channeled his anger at the violation of his rights into a vigorous campaign against corruption and dishonesty in the Fall River Police Department and city government as a whole. George, a lifelong Fall River resident who had never been political before his arrest, had the heart and soul of an activist. He had a clear sense of justice and an intolerance for police officers and others who abuse their authority. He was outspoken and fearless, and he had a flair for the dramatic, and for comedy. With the money from his settlement, he planned to open a food truck called Bozo’s after his name for the officer who violated his constitutional rights. After his lawsuit settled, he continued to demand reform and accountability from public officials. We will remember George fondly as we do the same.
George Thompson (Photo by Dylan Avery via photographyisnotacrime.com)