Several men involved in a stand-off situation in Revere, Massachusetts, are accusing police of being overly aggressive and causing damage to their homes.
Police and a SWAT team responded to the scene at 22 Francis Street Sunday, where police say a man was armed and barricaded inside.
The men who live at the home tell the Boston Globe there was no gunfire. They say they were sleeping and were startled by police.
“I opened my door, a guy was aiming at me, a big gun,” said one of the men, who wants to remain anonymous. “They treat us like animals. Basically like animals.”
The men are speaking out, because they believe they were racially profiled because they’re all Morrocan immigrants and Muslim.
The men said they also had trouble understanding the instructions being yelled out in English.
Police detained all six of the men who were inside the home and later released them.
Authorities confirmed no weapon was found, and no one was ever charged.
No injuries were reported.
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The men deny doing anything wrong and are now considering their legal options.
Matthew Segal with the American Civil Liberties Union says if their constitutional rights were violated, the men have options.
“They can sue, not just for the intrusion itself, but for any damages,” said Segal. “For example, the loss of a job.”
The men say one of their roommates did in fact lose his job, for missing his Sunday shift at a grocery store. They are now concerned about more harm to their reputations.
“I just want peace. I just want to go to work, come back. And be peaceful,” said one of the men.
