Columbus, Ohio Agrees to Pay $5.75 Million to Those Injured During Protests Last Year

The city of Columbus is paying the injured participants in protests that happened in their city last year because of the death of George Floyd and other racial injustices that have happened around the country.

The 32 injured protesters are going to get a bag out of this.

From Associated Press:

The payouts will vary based on the extent of protesters’ individual injuries, and will be determined during a series of private meetings with a special master hired to review each case, said John Marshall, the lead attorney in the federal lawsuit brought by 32 injured protesters against Columbus. At least three plaintiffs said they suffered broken bones.

The settlement also finalizes details of a federal judge’s ruling earlier this year that ordered Columbus police to stop using nonlethal force such as tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets on nonviolent protesters who aren’t harming people or destroying property.

The settlement announced Thursday “mandates that peaceful protestors on city streets and sidewalks cannot be subjected to uses of force, arrests, or dispersal orders except in extraordinary circumstances,” Marshall said. It also provides protections for street medics, journalists, and legal observers, he said.

Thank goodness, last year, there were examples of people who exercised their right to protest or were just doing their jobs and still were physically harmed by police.

The Columbus City Council is expected to approve the financial settlement next week according to the Associated Press.

Per the story from the Associated Press, many of the violent acts protesters experienced included being pepper-sprayed and being struck by a nonlethal police projectile.

But, we’re talking about the police here.

Police officers testified about facing chaotic situations during last year’s protest.

From Associated Press:

“People were walking up to us with bottles and opening them and throwing, like, unknown liquids on us, yelling in our face,” Officer Anthony Johnson said, according to court documents.

Sorry, people were mad. You keep killing Black people. Stop and people might be less angry.

Retired Georgia Judge Gino Brogdon Sr. will serve as special master determining the individual payouts according to the Associated Press.

Thankfully, the people protesting will be given something for the violence officers decided to inflict on them.