(Cassandra Fairbanks) A federal jury has awarded $14 million in compensatory and punitive damages to 12 Black Lives Matter protesters who were injured by police during a riot over the death of George Floyd in 2020.
Related Psychological Trauma:’ Former Moderators File Lawsuit Against China-Owned TikTok
by Cassandra Fairbanks, March 27th, 2022
The jury decided that the protesters constitutional rights were violated by the Denver Police over their use of less-lethal weapons to try and break up the riot.
“The violence and destruction that occurred around the community required intervention,” one of Denver’s lawyers, Lindsay Jordan, told the jurors.
The activists sued the City and County of Denver and former police officer Jonathan Christian.
Christian was accused of shooting current state legislative candidate Elisabeth Epps with a pepper ball.
“The jurors found Christian violated Epps’ Fourth Amendment rights and awarded her $250,000 in punitive damages. They denied her First Amendment claims against him,” the Denver Gazette reports. “At trial the two sides disputed whether the pepper ball fired by Christian actually hit Epps. She said after the verdict came down it had felt ‘disorienting’ for the city to challenge her account of what she experienced.”
Attorneys for the protesters claimed their clients never assaulted officers or destroyed property.
The payouts are as follows:
- Claire Sannier: $1 million
- Stanford Smith: $1 million
- Zachary Packard: $3 million
- Sara Fitouri: $1 million
- Maya Rothlein: $1 million
- Amanda Blasingame: $1 million
- Joe Deras: $1 million
- Elle Taylor: $1 million
- Ashlee Wedgeworth, $750,00
- Jackie Parkins: $1 million
- Elisabeth Epps: 1 million in compensatory damages, $250,000 in punitive damages
- Hollis Lyman: $1 million
NBC News reports, “in Austin, Texas, officials have agreed to pay over $13 million to people injured in protests in May 2020, and 19 officers have been indicted for their actions against protesters. Last month, two police officers in Dallas accused of injuring protesters after firing less lethal munitions were charged.”
[the_ad_group id=”25840″]
About The Author
Cassandra Fairbanks is a former leftist who came out in support of Donald Trump in 2016. She has been published in the International Business Times, RT, Sputnik, The Independent and countless other publications.
Stillness in the Storm Editor: Why did we post this?
The news is important to all people because it is where we come to know new things about the world, which leads to the development of more life goals that lead to life wisdom. The news also serves as a social connection tool, as we tend to relate to those who know about and believe the things we do. With the power of an open truth-seeking mind in hand, the individual can grow wise and the collective can prosper.
– Justin
Not sure how to make sense of this? Want to learn how to discern like a pro? Read this essential guide to discernment, analysis of claims, and understanding the truth in a world of deception: 4 Key Steps of Discernment – Advanced Truth-Seeking Tools.
Stillness in the Storm Editor’s note: Did you find a spelling error or grammatical mistake? Send an email to corrections@stillnessinthestorm.com, with the error and suggested correction, along with the headline and url. Do you think this article needs an update? Or do you just have some feedback? Send us an email at sitsshow@gmail.com. Thank you for reading.
Source:
[the_ad id=”121669″]
Leave a Reply