The city of Seattle has reportedly agreed to pay $10 million to the demonstrators that took legal action against the police department for their response during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.
Announced Wednesday, the lawsuit was settled with approximately 50 protestors who had joined in on the case against the Seattle police department. The decision to settle the case was made before it moved forward to a three-month long trial that was expected to start in May.
During the height of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd, the protestors were victims of agressive techniques used by the Seattle police department.
According to the lawsuit, the demonstrators were harassed by the police department through deployment of blast balls that released pepper gas, foam-tipped projectiles as well as flash-bang grenades.
As a result of the attacks, the plaintiffs reported that they suffered from a variety of injuries including cardiac arrest, hearing loss, concussions, bruises, broken bones and PTSD.
“Historians should review what we collected and write the true story of the shameful behavior of our City against the Peaceful Protesters,” said the attorney for the plaintiffs, Karen Koehler, in a statement per AP News.
The announcement that the city of Seattle will settle the case comes months after a similar case was settled in Denver.
In late August, the city agreed to pay approximately $4.7 million to over 300 demonstrators who were arrested for staying past the emergency curfew set during the nation-wide protests. The police were accused of firing tear gas, pepper balls, rubber bullets and grenades at the protestors without warning.
According to the lawsuit, the police used excessive force to carry out the curfew, simultaneously discriminating against individuals. The plaintiffs alleged that their constitutional rights, such as the right to free speech, weren’t respected. Overall, in the span of several days, more than 350 people were arrested for staying past the curfew.
The $4.7 million settlement came a year after $14 million was granted to 12 demonstrators following a federal court decision which found that the Denver police department had unnecessarily used excessive force during the protests.
“Over 300 people were arrested for the simple act of protesting,” said the attorney for the protestors, Elizabeth Wang, on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The First Amendment does not allow police to clear the streets of protesters simply because they do not agree with their message.”
