Black teen's parents sue Boston

August 27, 1980

The parents of Levi Hart, a black youth fatally wounded by a white po liceman , filed suit Tuesday in US District Court, seeking $42 million in damages, Monitor correspondent Luix Overbea reports.

Henry F. Owens, the parents' attorney, announced that the suit also seeks a restraining order to prevent the officer, Richard Bourque, under suspension with pay since the July 15 shooting, from returning to any duty requiring him to carry a weapon.

Officer Bourque has been cleared of criminal charges by a Suffolk County grand jury, but may face a federal grand jury hearing on whether he violated the Hart boy's civil rights in the shooting. The FBI is investi gating the incident , which has stirred racial tensions in Boston.

"It's not the money -- money can't bring my son back -- it's the injustice," said Jean Hart. "My son was beaten, hit on the head."

Also named as defendants in the civil action are the City of Boston, Mayor Kevin H. White, Suffolk County District Attorney Newman Flanagan, and Boston Police Commissioner Joseph Jordan.