Jimmy Marks

Jimmy Marks (February 14, 1945 – June 27, 2007) was a Romani American who lived in Spokane, Washington. Marks' clan are part of the Romanian Romani Germanic Gypsies. He referred to himself as a "Rom" .

Marks became widely known in 1986 when the Spokane police department raided his home, performed searches, confiscated property, $1.6 million in cash, and $160,000 in jewelry, without a valid search warrant. The police claimed that 35 items were from burglaries .

The Marks' claimed that the cash was being held for other Romani families who did not trust banks. Marks brought suit against the city of Spokane for $59 million , and after 11 years the case was settled out of court for $1.43 million . The lawsuit has been cited as a landmark case in the civil rights of Romani Americans .

External links

American Gypsy: A Stranger in Everybody's Land a documentary about Marks by Jasmine Dellal
Spokesman Review Obituary
Seattle Times Obituary
Washington Post Obituary

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