New York City has opted to compensate more than $13 million to address the complaints of thousands of individuals who assert they were arrested or subjected to physical harm by NYPD officers during the 2020 racial justice protests.
As part of a class-action lawsuit resolution, the city consented to accept $13.7 million on Wednesday. This settlement, subject to judicial approval, is poised to be one of the most substantial payouts ever awarded in a case involving mass arrests.
With its scope covering 18 separate protests, the civil rights lawsuit delves into the occurrences during the 2020 racial justice demonstrations.
These protests were galvanized by the tragic incident of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, triggering a wave of nationwide and international protests decrying police misconduct and systemic racism.
The National Lawyers Guild attorneys, representing the New York plaintiffs, made serious accusations against NYPD leaders, claiming that their actions amounted to a ‘coordinated’ campaign of indiscriminate brutality and unlawful arrests, resulting in the violation of protesters’ First Amendment rights.
Narrating their experience as one of the named plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Adama Sow detailed how their marching group was unexpectedly surrounded by the police.
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Sow and the other arrestees recounted being immobilized with zip ties until their hands turned purple, after which they were confined in an uncomfortably hot city government bus for several hours.
‘It was so disorganized, but so intentional,’ Sow said. ‘They seemed set on traumatizing everyone.’
The plaintiffs’ attorneys confirmed that individuals who were arrested or subjected to force by NYPD officers during the protests would be eligible for compensation, with an amount of $9,950 designated for each person, excluding specific exceptional cases.
Stemming from the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, this agreement is one of several reached and provides the city a way to sidestep a costly and politically sensitive trial
The city of New York, back in March, agreed to provide $6 million in compensation to other protesters who were arrested, detained, and subjected to excessive force during a George Floyd protest in the Bronx.
In the lawsuit filed against the NYPD, it was alleged that 320 protesters encountered ‘kettling,’ a controversial police tactic in which officers surrounded and pressed upon groups of demonstrators.