On Wednesday, New York City announced that it will pay $13.7 million to more than 1,000 people as restitution for mass arrests during the 2020 George Floyd protests. The announcement comes as part of a settlement in a federal class-action lawsuit against the city, which alleges that police violated the constitutional and civil rights of Black Lives Matter protesters during 18 separate demonstrations over the course of a week.
Following the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police in May 2020, civil unrest broke out nationwide on a massive scale. Protesters took to the streets to demonstrate against racism and police brutality, with many gatherings devolving into riots, looting, and vandalism. Escalating tensions between crowds and police led to assaults on officers and mass arrests of protesters. By the end of that summer, the riots had caused nearly $2 billion in property damage, claimed 20 lives, and seen the arrest of nearly 10,000 people nationwide.
Check out the latest military line of merchandise today in the Valuetainment store!
According to the New York City lawsuit, many of the police interactions were a violation of citizens’ civil rights. During 18 protests that took place in the city in the week after Floyd’s death, some of the suit’s plaintiffs were arrested while others were simply dispersed by police, but all were subjected to First Amendment violations at the hands of law enforcement, the suit claims.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio and retired NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea, among other city officials, are named as defendants by the class action, though this out-of-court settlement allows the matter to be concluded with no admission of wrongdoing by either the city or NYPD.
Each eligible recipients will receive $9,950 each once payment is made. Those considered ineligible include anyone arrested for assaulting an officer, trespassing, destruction of property, arson, or weapons possession, as well as anyone who blocked officers from making arrests. Similar class-action lawsuits are pending in multiple cities across the country, and nearly 600 individual cases have been filed in New York City alone, costing the city an estimated $12 million.
The settlement still needs to be approved by a judge before it can go into effect—but if it does, it will be among the most expensive payouts ever for mass arrests.
Add comment