New York City has agreed to pay $21,500 to each person detained and assaulted by NYPD officers during a 2020 George Floyd protest in the Bronx.
The city’s collective bargaining proposal, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court, could cost taxpayers between $4 million and $6 million if approved by a judge, according to the New York Times.
“This is believed to be the largest settlement per person in a mass arrest class action lawsuit in the history of New York City,” attorneys representing about 320 people arrested during the protest said in a statement.
The May 2020 killing of Floyd by Minneapolis police sparked protests against racial injustice and police brutality across the country, including in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx.
In the week following Floyd’s killing, NYPD officers surrounded a crowd with a tactic called “kettleling” before a robbery curfew went into effect. The officers — many of whom were not wearing protective masks despite pandemic directives — beat the protesters with batons, sprayed them with pepper spray and handcuffed them tightly with cable ties, according to the protesters’ lawsuit.
“We have every right to protest, however, New York City explicitly stated that day that the people of the Bronx can be terrorized,” said Samira Sierra, one of the protesters.
John Minchillo/Associated Press
Many protesters were injured or bleeding, the Times reported, and some had passed out.
The NYPD told ABC News that June 4 was “a difficult time” and that officers “who were themselves suffering under the pressure of a global pandemic” were doing “everything they could” to help people in their “peaceful expression.” The department said it has since changed training and policies for handling large demonstrations.
Joshua Moskovitz, an attorney representing the protesters, told NBC News that the settlement “reflects the city’s recognition that the actions of the Mott Haven Police Department on June 4 were tragically wrong.”
“We’re very pleased with the settlement,” Ali Frick, another lawyer for the protesters, told ABC News. “This was essentially a premeditated show of force against people demonstrating against police brutality.”
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