Demetrius Knuckles El Errick E. Payton-Bey Michael Vaughn v. Raymond G. Toombs, Warden

OPINION

MERRITT, Circuit Judge.

This prisoners’ appeal in a § 1983 prison assault case is governed by 42 U.S.C. § 1997e requiring exhaustion of administrative remedies. Plaintiffs, all inmates at Ionia Maximum Facility in Ionia, Michigan, allege that on numerous occasions between October 12, 1995, and March 18, 1997, defendants violated their rights under the First, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments by using excessive force and engaging in “retaliatory harassment.” Plaintiffs concede that they have not exhausted all available administrative remedies but argue that their complaint should not be…