New York City has agreed to pay $21,500 (£17,900) to more than 300 people who were allegedly boxed in and beaten by police during racial justice protests in 2020. If approved, the settlement will become one of the largest amounts ever awarded per person in a mass arrest case.
The protest took place in the Mott Haven neighbourhood of the Bronx on June 4, 2020, less than two weeks after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The class-action lawsuit was filed on behalf of five protesters, and documents filed to court alleged that police boxed in protesters, restrained them with plastic handcuffs, and hit them with batons, leaving many injured, bleeding, and unconscious. About 320 people were arrested, detained, or subjected to force by officers at the event, according to the settlement document.
The lawsuit accused the New York Police Department (NYPD) of a “brutal response” to the racial justice protest. The police operation aimed to “suppress” the protesters, leaving them with injuries, and violated their rights. One of the victims, Samira Sierra, said that “we had every right to protest, yet the City of New York made an explicit statement that day that the people of the Bronx are at will to be terrorized.”
The settlement will be paid to “eligible class members who submit timely claim forms,” but the exact number of eligible people is unclear. The settlement notes that about 90 of the over 300 eligible people have already settled with the city in separate claims. The total cost of the settlement could ultimately range from $4m to $6m. The individual total of $21,500 is believed to be the highest ever for a class-action lawsuit stemming from a mass police action.
In response to the settlement, the NYPD said it “remains committed to continually improving its practices in every way possible.” The settlement must still be approved by a judge.
