NEW YORK TO PAY MILLIONS OVER POLICE MISCONDUCT DURING GEORGE FLOYD PROTESTS

New York City has agreed to pay a hefty $21,500 each to 300 protesters who were restrained, and zip tied in The Bronx amid the 2020 protesting of the murder of George Floyd. The class action lawsuit which took place in the South Bronx, is pending approval from a judge. If approved New York City will have to shell out anywhere from $4 to $6 million dollars and will go down as the largest class action settlement ever paid out by the city.

The lawsuit which was filed in July of 2020 by 4 protesters names former Governor Bill De Blasio, former NYPD chief Terry Monahan, and several other defendants. The plaintiffs are accusing of using excessive force on peaceful protesters leaving them injured and bleeding. Although former NYPD commissioner Dermot Shea deemed the mass arrest as “executed near flawlessly”.

According to a report from Human Rights Watch, NYPD committed “serious violations of international human rights law.” The fate of the settlement is now in the hands of a federal judge and if approved will add to an already heavy stack of misconduct settlements against New York City, according to a report published by the city, settlements reached the highest level since 2018 at $121 million for the year of 2022.