{"id":16305,"date":"2025-09-12T14:39:27","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T21:39:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cldc.org\/?p=16305"},"modified":"2026-04-03T18:45:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T01:45:14","slug":"for-immediate-release-civil-rights-groups-sue-city-of-medford-for-targeting-public-health-workers-and-retaliating-against-harm-reduction-activists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cldc.org\/hi\/for-immediate-release-civil-rights-groups-sue-city-of-medford-for-targeting-public-health-workers-and-retaliating-against-harm-reduction-activists\/","title":{"rendered":"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Civil Rights Groups Sue City of Medford for Targeting Public Health Workers and Retaliating Against Harm Reduction Activists"},"content":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/strong>
\nSeptember 11, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

Civil Rights Groups Sue City of Medford for Targeting Public Health Workers and Retaliating Against Harm Reduction Activists<\/strong><\/p>\n

MEDFORD, OR<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Attorneys with\u00a0LeDuc Montgomery LLC\u00a0and the\u00a0Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC)\u00a0have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of the nonprofit organization\u00a0Stabbin\u2019 Wagon, its founder\u00a0Melissa Jones, and former staff member\u00a0Samantha Strong, alleging that the\u00a0City of Medford and Medford Police Department\u00a0engaged in a years-long campaign of unlawful retaliation, targeted surveillance, and politically motivated interference with public health outreach.<\/p>\n

Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, Medford Division, the complaint asserts that City and police officials violated Plaintiffs\u2019 rights under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as well as Oregon law. Plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages for unconstitutional retaliation, defamation, interference with state grant funding, and other retaliatory conduct stemming from their work with unhoused and drug-using populations in Jackson County.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis case is about a city government using its power to silence dissent, punish advocacy, and sabotage vital public health work,\u201d said\u00a0Alicia LeDuc Montgomery, lead attorney for Plaintiffs. \u201cOur clients serve people who are often stigmatized and excluded. Rather than protect those rights, Medford targeted the advocates.\u201d<\/p>\n

The complaint details how Stabbin\u2019 Wagon, a harm reduction nonprofit founded in 2020, came under increasing scrutiny and retaliation as it gained prominence for its evidence-based public health outreach and public criticism of law enforcement practices. Plaintiffs allege that the Medford Police Department and City officials retaliated by:<\/p>\n