by Violet Ikonomova
A Detroit Will Breathe protest in the summer of 2020. (file photo) Detroit City Council on Tuesday approved $200,000 in spending on a lawsuit seeking damages from largely peaceful racial-justice demonstrators who the city claims were part of a civil conspiracy. The contract with the Clark Hill law firm will go toward defending the city against an excessive-force suit filed by Detroit Will Breathe and supporting its counterclaim against the activist group. The spending was approved in a contentious 5-4 vote, with councilmembers opposed arguing it could have a chilling effect on dissent and that a countersuit is not needed to prove whether demonstrators acted inappropriately.