Town of Pomona and the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California have settled a lawsuit over murals protesting police brutality that have been painted on the outside partitions of a social justice nonprofit group’s heart.
The settlement, signed in Might and introduced Monday, July 14, ends authorized motion filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California on behalf of Gente Organizada or “Organized People,” which runs a youth heart on West Holt Avenue.
The ACLU sued town in 2023 after Pomona officers that yr cited and fined Gente for work on its youth heart.
Shaped in 2014, Gente “works with communities that comprise historically underrepresented, immigrant populations to understand their rights and the power of community action,” the lawsuit states.
Paintings that was the topic of a lawsuit in opposition to town of Pomona is seen on the wall of the Gente Organizada youth heart within the metropolis. It depicts protesters marching with a “Tim Sandoval Defund Pomona Police” signal, a reference to Pomona’s mayor. (Courtesy of ACLU of Southern California)
A mural outdoors the of Gente Organizada youth heart in Pomona that was the topic of a lawsuit in opposition to town of Pomona is seen. Titled “For the People,” its reveals pictures from a 2022 Black Lives Matter protest within the metropolis. (Courtesy of ACLU Basis of Southern California)
Gente Organizada in Pomona is seen on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. The nonprofit group helps youth and immigrant households within the metropolis. (Picture by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Solar/SCNG)
Ivan Hernandez, director of motion constructing for Gente Organizada, works on the workplace in Pomona on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (Picture by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Solar/SCNG)
Ivan Hernandez, director of motion constructing for Gente Organizada, reads painted indicators outdoors the group’s workplace in Pomona on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (Picture by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Solar/SCNG)
Ivan Hernandez, director of motion constructing of Gente Organizada, sits within the lounge space of the workplace Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (Picture by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Solar/SCNG)
Ivan Hernandez, director of motion constructing of Gente Organizada, works on the workplace in Pomona on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (Picture by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Solar/SCNG)
Ivan Hernandez, director of motion constructing, stands on the entrance of the Gente Organizada workplace in Pomona on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (Picture by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Solar/SCNG)
Ivan Hernandez, director of motion constructing, stands close to the Gente Organizada workplace in Pomona on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. Gente Organizada is a nonprofit group that helps youth and immigrant households in Pomona. (Picture by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Solar/SCNG)
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Paintings that was the topic of a lawsuit in opposition to town of Pomona is seen on the wall of the Gente Organizada youth heart within the metropolis. It depicts protesters marching with a “Tim Sandoval Defund Pomona Police” signal, a reference to Pomona’s mayor. (Courtesy of ACLU of Southern California)
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One confirmed a gaggle of protesters marching with an indication studying “Tim Sandoval Defund Pomona Police.” Sandoval is Pomona’s mayor.
One other mural, titled “For the People,” confirmed a roll of movie with pictures from a 2022 Black Lives Matter protest in Pomona. The third mural depicted individuals standing in a area of flowers above the slogan “End Institutional Violence.”
The lawsuit alleged that town contended the murals violated Pomona’s zoning ordinance, which forbids sure indicators and banners.
Apart from fining Gente, town “sent the citation to the home of Gente Organizada’s co-founder and threatened him that, unless he and the Organization immediately got in line and took down their art, the City might ‘take criminal action’ to force them to do so,” the lawsuit states.
The ACLU argued that town’s actions violated Gente’s First Modification rights.
The lawsuit additionally alleged a metropolis listening to officer who upheld the citations “made several clear legal and factual errors” and Pomona’s signal code utilized to business-related indicators, not expressions of political opinions.
Gente’s attorneys additionally could have the prospect to weigh in on upcoming modifications to Pomona’s public artwork code earlier than these modifications go to town council.
Town additionally agreed to let Gente mount new paintings with out the necessity for brand spanking new permits for the subsequent 5 years. And Pomona can pay Gente’s authorized workforce $150,000 for authorized charges and refund Gente $374 for what the nonprofit group paid for citations.
Hernandez, of Gente, praised the settlement.
“While Pomona attempted to block our right to free speech and weaponized city code so that we could not exercise our right to artistic expression, we are grateful this litigation resulted in changes in the city code that uphold our constitutional rights — ensuring that other Pomona organizations are not unfairly subjected to improper citations and fines,” Hernandez mentioned within the launch.
The discharge quoted Jonathan Markovitz, an ACLU employees lawyer, as saying: “We hope this case inspires other cities to honor fundamental rights to free speech and expression when considering their own zoning and sign codes.”
Pomona Assistant Metropolis Supervisor Mark Gluba declined to touch upon the settlement.
