WOKE INSANITY: NYC to Pay $13 Million to 2020 George Floyd Protesters

New York City has agreed to pay over $13 million to resolve a civil rights lawsuit filed on behalf of approximately 1,300 individuals who were arrested or subjected to police brutality during protests against racial injustice in the summer of 2020. If a judge approves the settlement, which was submitted to the Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, it would stand as one of the most expensive payouts ever granted in a lawsuit concerning mass arrests, according to experts.

The lawsuit focused on 18 specific protests that occurred in New York City after the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis. Except for certain cases, individuals who were arrested or faced police force during these events will each be eligible to receive $9,950 in compensation, as stated by the plaintiffs’ attorneys.

This settlement is one of the many arising from the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, providing a way for the city to avoid a costly and politically sensitive trial. Various other cities across the United States are also negotiating settlements with protesters who took to the streets to denounce racist police brutality following Floyd’s death. The period of unrest resulted in approximately 10,000 arrests within a few days.

Attorneys representing the plaintiffs in New York, from the National Lawyers Guild, accused the NYPD leaders of violating protesters’ First Amendment rights through a “coordinated” campaign of indiscriminate brutality and unjust arrests.

Throughout the extensive legal process, the city’s attorneys argued that the police were responding to a chaotic and unprecedented situation, highlighting instances of unruly protests where police vehicles were set on fire, and officers were attacked with rocks and bottles.

During some of the 2020 protest marches, officers used a crowd control tactic known as “kettling,” which involved trapping peaceful protesters in confined spaces and using batons and pepper spray before making mass arrests.

One of the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Adama Sow, described how their group of marchers was cornered by police without warning. They were detained with zip ties until their hands turned purple and then held in a sweltering correctional bus for hours. Sow stated that the police seemed determined to traumatize everyone present.

The city invoked “qualified immunity” to protect police officers from lawsuits related to their lawful work performed in the line of duty. They also defended the decision to arrest medics and legal observers, asserting that it fell within the department’s rights.

While the plaintiffs’ attorneys cited past crackdowns on large demonstrations, including the 2004 Republican National Convention, as evidence of the NYPD’s ongoing “systemic violations,” the city’s attorneys denied any systematic effort to deprive people of their right to protest, asserting that there was no frequent violation of constitutional rights.

The lawsuit listed former Mayor Bill de Blasio, retired NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea, and other police leaders as defendants. Under the terms of the settlement, neither the city nor the NYPD had to admit any wrongdoing.

The settlement excludes protesters arrested on specific charges, such as trespassing, property destruction, assaulting an officer, arson, or weapons possession. Individuals seen on video obstructing police from making arrests may also be ineligible.

Unlike some other lawsuits related to the 2020 protests, the class action was not intended to compel the NYPD to change its practices. Other ongoing lawsuits are seeking injunctive relief, including one led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, calling for federal oversight of the NYPD’s handling of protests.

An earlier class action settlement announced this year would grant $21,500 to those arrested during one demonstration in the Bronx, potentially totaling around $10 million with legal fees.

Additionally, more than 600 people have filed individual claims against New York City in connection with police actions during the 2020 protests, leading to nearly $12 million in settlements and resolutions thus far, according to the city’s comptroller, Brad Lander.

Wylie Stecklow, an attorney representing the protesters in the class action lawsuit, warned city leaders about the growing cost to taxpayers, indicating the NYPD’s failure to address its longstanding problem with constitutionally compliant protest policing. He urged for reform to bend toward justice.

{Matzav.com}