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New York City to give more than $13 million to over 1,000 Black Lives Matter protestors in mass arrests settlement
This comes after a civil rights lawsuit settlement was recently filed in Manhattan federal court
New York City is set to give over $13 million to more than 1,000 protesters arrested during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. This comes after a civil rights lawsuit settlement was recently filed in Manhattan federal court.
According to experts, the settlement, which allows the city to avoid a trial, is going to be one of the most expensive payouts ever made for mass arrests. A judge would need to approve it before it is finalised.
The lawsuit is related to 18 protests that erupted in New York City after George Floyd’s murder. Attorneys for the plaintiffs confirmed that those who are eligible can receive $9,950 in compensation, according to Fox News.
George was a Black man, 46, who was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2020. Derek knelt on George’s neck for more than nine minutes while George lay face down on the ground, handcuffed. After his death, massive protests and riots were held, leading to the deaths of at least 18 people. $350 million worth of property was damaged in the Minneapolis area. In a span of very few days, about 10,000 people were arrested.
Various cities negotiating their own settlements
Across the US, many other cities have been negotiating their own settlements. They have cited how officers handled the protestors who took to the streets. Protestors who were arrested in connection with violence, on charges including trespassing, property destruction, assaulting an officer, arson or weapons possession, will not be included in the settlement.
Defendants on the lawsuit are Mayor Bill de Blasio and retired NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea, and other police leaders. The city and the NYPD are not required to admit any wrongdoing under the settlement. The NYPD leaders have been accused by attorneys with the National Lawyers Guild of unlawful arrests and brutal tactics, depriving protesters of their First Amendment rights in the process.
Attorneys for the city denied the allegations. "There is no history – or present or future – of unconstitutional policing," Georgia Pestana, an attorney for the city, wrote in a memo. "There is no frequent deprivation of constitutional rights."
