The city of Seattle announced Wednesday that it has agreed to pay $10 million to 50 people injured by police during the city's 2020 riots over the death of George Floyd.
The city did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement, instead citing the burden of litigation. according to To the press release from the city.During the riots after the death of George Floyd, individuals Involved A spate of arson and looting prompted police to respond with non-lethal force.
“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. ,” said Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison. He said.
The plaintiffs and the city reached a settlement after a series of closed-door meetings, The Seattle Times reported. report.
Following Floyd's death, riots broke out in Seattle, resulting in significant property damage, personal injuries, and deaths. (Related: 24 people have died since violence erupted after George Floyd's death)
After police withdrew from the area surrounding the police station's 8th Precinct building, rioters occupied six city blocks and established the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ).
Two people were killed when protesters took over parts of the city and blocked law enforcement from gaining access.
The city agreed to pay $3.6 million to businesses whose property was damaged by the CHAZ occupation, which was significantly less than the amount protesters received.
In one incident, rioters pulled an AR-15 from an abandoned police cruiser and was disarmed by private security personnel working with local media outlets.
During the riots in Seattle following Floyd's death, reports surfaced that protesters assaulted people, set fires, looted businesses and damaged property. according to In the Seattle Times.
(Reuters/Goran Tomasevic)
The city argued that the injured demonstrators were “running the risk” of injury by participating in violent protests. However, the judge rejected that argument, according to In the Seattle Times. Karen Koehler, an attorney representing the protesters, called the police “punks” who “brutalized peaceful protesters.”
The Seattle Times reports that the $10 million settlement will be divided equally among the 50 plaintiffs, each receiving $200,000.
The lawsuit between the city and the protesters had been going on for three years.
“This litigation has consumed a significant amount of the city's time and resources, and would have continued to do so during the estimated three-month trial that was scheduled to begin in May,” Davison said Wednesday.
The lawsuit reviewed millions of pages of records, more than 10,000 records, hundreds of interviews, and hundreds of communications between police and the plaintiffs, according to a city press release.
The Seattle City Attorney's Office had no additional comment when contacted by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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