The city of Seattle will award $10 million to 50 Black Lives Matter protesters who sued police for using excessive force during the 2020 riots in a settlement announced Wednesday by lawyers for both sides. agreed to pay.
“Based on risk, cost and insurance, this was the best financial decision for the city,” City Attorney Davison said in a statement. “This litigation has taken up a significant amount of the city's time and resources, and will likely continue to do so through the estimated three-month trial that was scheduled to begin in May.”
According to the city, the complaint includes hundreds of interactions between protesters and local law enforcement officials, more than 1 million pages of records, more than 10,000 videos, hundreds of witness interviews, and extensive court filings. However, the city denied any wrongdoing in this matter.
“This settlement resolves the majority of remaining claims arising from the 2020 demonstration period and is a major step toward allowing the city to focus on the important work of today while moving forward from the events of four years ago. ,” Davison added.
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The city of Seattle will pay $10 million to protesters who say police used excessive force during 2020 protests. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images)
According to a report in the Seattle Times, lawyers for the plaintiffs said one protester suffered a heart attack after being hit by Seattle police bullets, and another plaintiff, a veteran who uses a cane, said: “He was gassed and tackled,” the newspaper reported. Because he didn't retreat quickly enough. ”
The lawyers also claimed that “dozens of others suffered permanent hearing loss, broken bones, concussions, scars, bruises, and psychological damage” as a result of the police response.
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People hold placards during the “Defund the Police” march from the King County Youth Jail to City Hall on August 5, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jason Redmond/AFP via Getty Images)
Riots sparked by the death of George Floyd in May 2020 led to the destruction of many local businesses, significant property damage, and injuries and deaths.
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In February, the city of Seattle agreed to pay $3.6 million to settle a lawsuit brought by more than a dozen business owners and residents whose property suffered significant damage at the hands of protesters.
