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Seattle has agreed to pay $10 million to settle a lawsuit brought by 50 demonstrators who sued over the police department’s forceful response to racial justice protests in 2020. The settlement, announced by attorneys from both sides on Wednesday, comes in the aftermath of widespread protests following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
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During the protests, which lasted for weeks and saw the establishment of the “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest,” demonstrators faced a heavy-handed response from the police department, led by then-Chief Carmen Best. The police used aggressive tactics, including flash-bang grenades, foam-tipped projectiles, and blast balls emitting pepper gas. While some protesters engaged in damaging activities such as burning police cars and attempting to set fire to the East Precinct, a federal judge ordered the department to stop using chemical and other weapons indiscriminately against peaceful demonstrators.
Despite promises from Chief Best and then-Mayor Jenny Durkan to cease using tear gas except in life-threatening situations, tear gas was still deployed. In response, the City Council unanimously voted to ban officers from using tear gas, pepper spray, and other crowd control devices. However, this decision was later overturned by a federal judge.
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The lawsuit involved several plaintiffs, including Aubreanna Inda, who went into cardiac arrest after being hit in the chest by a blast ball while standing in the middle of a street before a line of officers in riot gear. Other plaintiffs suffered various injuries, including a teenager with a partially blown-off finger, a disabled veteran tear-gassed and tackled, and numerous individuals with hearing loss, broken bones, concussions, severe bruises, PTSD, or other injuries.
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The case incorporated over 10,000 videos, including police body-worn camera recordings, and numerous witness interviews. The settlement reflects a significant step in addressing the consequences of the police response during the racial justice protests in Seattle.
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