New York City has agreed to pay out $20 million to thousands of protestors through two settlements for alleged police misconduct during the George Floyd protests in the summer of 2020, according to Reuters.
In one settlement reached in March, New York City agreed to pay out $7 million to about 300 protestors that alleged police misconduct, with each protestor receiving payouts of about $21,500. In another settlement reached on July 20, New York City agreed to pay out $13 million to about 1,300 protestors, with each protestor receiving about $9,950.
Plaintiffs alleged that police used pepper spray improperly, used excessive force with batons, and used unlawful tactics like “kettling,” or confining a group of protesters in a small area, as a method of crowd control.
The settlements still must be approved by a judge, and protestors arrested on other charges like arson are not eligible to receive the payouts.
One of the plaintiff attorneys even recognized the harm to taxpayers, saying in a statement, “the city’s taxpayers will need to keep shelling out millions until City Hall stops bowing to the worst violent whims of the NYPD.”
If the police did violate the civil liberties of the protestors, then poor training and lax oversight of these officers led to taxpayers bearing the brunt of their misdeeds. On the other hand, if this was an ideologically motivated lawsuit, then the city should have fought harder to reduce the settlement amount to better protect the interests of taxpayers.
Either way, taxpayers are on the hook for a hefty price tag thanks to the ineptitude of New York City employees.
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