Jury awards $14M to George Floyd protesters in Denver
Source: Associated Press
DENVER (AP) Jurors on Friday found police used excessive force against protesters, violating their constitutional rights, during demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd two years ago, ordering the city to pay a total of $14 million in damages to a group of 12 who sued.
The jury of two men and six women, largely white and drawn from around Colorado, returned its verdict after about four hours of deliberations. The verdict followed three weeks of testimony and evidence that included police and protester video of incidents.
Lawyers involved believed it was the first trial in a lawsuit challenging officer tactics during the 2020 protests that erupted around the nation over the police killing of Floyd and other Black people.
The protesters who sued were shot at or hit by everything from pepper spray to a Kevlar-bag filled with lead shot fired from a shotgun. Zach Packard, who was hit in the head by the shotgun blast and ended up in the intensive care unit, received the largest damage amount $3 million.
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By COLLEEN SLEVIN
2 hours ago
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/death-of-george-floyd-business-police-lawsuits-denver-5c5b7a4c006904fcabaf921a40c77607
Source: TheDenverChannel.com/KMGH-TV
Federal jury awards $14 million to protesters injured in 2020 demonstrations in Denver
Jury finds First, Fourth amendment violations of protesters by police
By: Blair MillerPosted at 4:29 PM, Mar 25, 2022 and last updated 10:33 PM, Mar 25, 2022
DENVER A federal jury on Friday awarded $14 million in damages to 12 protesters who were injured by police officers in Denver during the 2020 protests in the first excessive force and civil rights trial coming out of the demonstrations over the death of George Floyd.
The jurys award comes after a three-week trial in which the jury heard testimony about failures in leadership and coordination by police in responding to the protests in Denver and injuries suffered by protesters at the hands of officers from Denver and other nearby departments.
Twelve protesters were plaintiffs in the lawsuit: Elisabeth Epps, Ashlee Wedgeworth, Amanda Blasingame, Maya Rothlein, Zach Packard, Hollis Lyman, Stanford Smith, Sara Fitouri, Jacquelyn Parkins, Claire Sannier, Kelsey Taylor and Joe Deras. The defendants in the lawsuit were the city and county of Denver and Denver Police Officer Jonathan Christian.
Attorney Andy McNulty, who has represented several protesters who said their civil rights were violated by Denver police during the summer of 2020 protests, said a key moment in the trial was when former independent monitor Nick Mitchell testified about officers telling him they were not prepared for the demonstrations.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/federal-jury-awards-14-million-to-protesters-injured-in-2020-demonstrations-in-denver
File Denver Police Department officers clear a man who fell to the street after they used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a protest outside the State Capitol over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis, in this file photograph taken Thursday, May 28, 2020, in Denver. A civil lawsuit accusing Denver Police of using indiscriminate force against people protesting the killing of Floyd is set to go on trial in federal court Monday, March 7, 2022. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Justice matters.
(6,861 posts)If only paid by the taxpayers, they will do it again.
cstanleytech
(26,027 posts)could have waited longer and used alternative methods first to deal with any problems.
sheshe2
(83,138 posts)Thank you.
https://apnews.com/article/george-floyd-death-of-george-floyd-ae65639c3e45a689442f8b12ccd7eb90
Rest in Peace, George.
LetMyPeopleVote
(143,654 posts)DENVERPOPS
(8,640 posts)(which are lifetime injuries) weren't EACH awarded that amount.....
DENVERPOPS
(8,640 posts)I think the FBI said it was the second worst attack by police on demonstrators in the entire nation for the Black Lives Matter demonstrations.
They were trained to shoot the mob control devices at the ground and not at the demonstrators. Instead the DPD was firing them at the demonstrators FACES. Resulting in some horrific injuries. One guy got hit in the head/eye with a tear gas grenade and lost the vision ins eye. I saw little or no video of the demonstrators using any violence. The Colorado State Patrol officers on the scene with the DPD were getting between the DPD and Demonstrators, and telling them to Run. The CSP is a fine group of officers, a large notch above the PD's across Colorado, especially the larger city Departments. This same unwarranted and un-deserved brutality also goes on in several other cities on the front range by their officers........all on tape for the world to see. A couple of Loveland cops, taking a 78 YO small women with obvious dementia or Alzheimers into custody. They broke her upper arm bone, dislocated her shoulder, got her no medical care and threw her in a cell alone for hours. One of the video's showed them outside the cell, actually laughing about her injuries they inflicted.
You would think that Denver and Aurora city council people would do something about the TENS OF MILLIONS that they pay out every year for settlements for their PD's racist brutality, but they don't. Every once in awhile, if the brutality was especially egregious, the officer is allowed to resign, rather than be fired, so he can keep his entire retirement. Then, many times they just go to work for another smaller PD somewhere else in Colorado or in other states.
This has been going on for years and years in those two cities, most often with racial overtones.
One case in Aurora, stopped an innocent black kid just walking down the street, beat him, handcuffed him and threw him to the ground.
The four officers and two paramedics, without question euthanized the kid, when they decided to give him a serious tranquilizer even though he was not resisting. The Paramedics, egged on by the APD gave the kid DOUBLE THE DOSE, and overdosed him and he died right there. Like I said......euthanasia...
I think I read that case alone cost Aurora 26 million??? And the four cops and two paramedics have also been brought up on Federal Civil Rights charges also.???? There is a lot of video. That was just one of the dozens of cases in Aurora and Denver these past two years.
The worse one ever, was videoed, and I wouldn't let my wife watch it...It was horrific and after the person was down, having never resisted, they basically tortured the victim. Again, Aurora PD. It was all on the video and the horrific torture went on and on and on. Funny thing, that one completely disappeared because the person was a drug user and probably homeless??????? I always wondered who made that one "go away". The video could not be shown on TV, and was only on cable for a short period, like a day or maybe two. I won't describe what the video showed, I don't want it going through anyones brains...
Aurora got a new police chief, actually a woman, who has stated she is gonna straighten out their dept., but the higher command officers and officers are totally ignoring her from what I can see. In Denver, there is a new case just filed for Brutality, and it name the fourteen? officers shown on video's and they also named the chief of police.
What is happening is beyond despicable. It is cruel and sadistic behavior. And sadly there are many good cops on both Departments but the get dragged into this sick and horrific behavior. Like I stated before, these two cities have been paying out millions after millions and the City Councils keep paying out the taxpayers money...........
I am pretty old, and constantly wonder WTF has happened to our country, and find myself ashamed that I am a citizen............
Evolve Dammit
(16,564 posts)Elessar Zappa
(13,574 posts)Ask black folks. Its nothing new and was probably worse years ago. Policing in this country needs a huge overhaul.
DENVERPOPS
(8,640 posts)is attempting just that by appointing his own PERSONAL police force, under the control of him........."Brown Shirts" ?????????
If he gets away with it, that will spread like wildfire throughout the nation in all the Red States.......
And grow from that, like German history has shown us...............
MichMan
(11,671 posts)Confrontation against people exercising their constitutional rights needs to stop.
"Over 80 officers were injured as protesters hurled rocks, water bottles and canned food at them, and the state Capitol, the hub of the protests, incurred $1.1 million in damage, according to the city. Lawyers for the protesters who sued stressed they were not accused of being violent themselves."
spike jones
(1,653 posts)SharonAnn
(13,756 posts)EarthFirst
(2,857 posts)The Grand Illuminist
(1,294 posts)Obtaining it is another.