A North Carolina Superior Court judge granted a temporary restraining order against the city of Charlotte and CMPD Chief Kerr Putney today which prevents the use of force against peaceful demonstrators.

Here’s the press release from the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:

N.C. Superior Court Grants Protester Restraining Order Against Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department

CMPD Has Used Irritants, Batons and Exploding Projectiles on Citizens in Recent Weeks

Protesters, journalists, and advocates in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, with the help of national and local civil rights groups, won a victory for personal rights and the Constitution today. A N.C. a North Carolina Superior Court judge granted a temporary restraining order against the City of Charlotte and its police chief to halt the use of force against peaceful demonstrators.

“We are happy with the court’s ruling,” said Elizabeth Haddix, managing attorney at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “We hope it will mean there is no more unlawful use of force – including groundless orders to disperse – by law enforcement officers at the Juneteenth action in Charlotte this afternoon, other events this weekend.”

“Black people have been harmed for centuries under the guise of law enforcement, which uses the term ‘protect and serve,’ but they have never protected or served the black community,” said Rev. Corinne Mack, President of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Branch of the NAACP, the lead plaintiff in the case. “What happened in Charlotte is another example of the abusive and brutal tactics that law enforcement uses against black people somewhere in this country every day.”

Earlier in the day, the groups filed a lawsuit against Charlotte-Mecklenburg police chief, Kerr Putney, and the city of Charlotte, alleging Charlotte police confronted peaceful protesters with tear gas, police in riot gear, exploding projectiles and tactics designed to menace peaceful citizens.

Read the overall lawsuit here.