George Floyd’s family received $27m settlement over his death
On Friday, the city of Minneapolis agreed to pay twenty-seven million dollars to settle a lawsuit by George Floyd’s family over his death in police custody, a high-profile case that stirred countrywide protests over police brutality and racial injustice. The 46-year-old black man died in May 2020 as a white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes. A video of the saddened incident captured Floyd’s dying appeals for help sparked one of the largest protest movements ever in the history of the United States.
An attorney for the Floyd, Benjamin Crump, says that the agreement was the largest pre-trial settlement of an unjust death suit in the country’s history. Moreover, at a press conference and Floyd relatives, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other officials, Crump said that the size indicates that the death of a Black person under the custody of a police officer will no longer write off as unimportant insignificant, or unworthy of consequences.
George Floyd’s family received a $27m settlement over his death Source: Web
The accused police officer pleaded not guilty to the murder
George’s sister Bridgett Floyd stated that his family finally satisfied that this part of the heartbreaking journey to justice over his death now resolved. But with broken hearts, they know that Floyd showed the whole world how to live. The police officials fired Chauvin after the incident, while his trial on charges of murder and manslaughter began earlier this week in the district court of Hennepin County. But Chauvin pleaded not guilty and said that he followed his police training and rules properly.
Peter Cahill, the judge who hears the case, set aside about three weeks for jury selection in the murder case. Two women and five men assigned as jurors as of Friday afternoon. Furthermore, the relatives of Floyd sued Chauvin, three other involved police officers, and the city in federal court, arguing that police used extreme force against the victim in violation of his unconstitutional rights. Though Minneapolis Mayor promised on Friday that the city would remain implacable in restructuring its police department, it was unclear if the city was confessing misconduct as part of the settlement, and city officials didn’t immediately respond to queries.
Frey said of the video revealing Floyd’s death that every American remembers where they were when they initially saw it. Further, he adds that today’s settlement with Floyd’s family reflects the shared commitment of the officials to advancing racial justice. In addition, the settlement includes a $500000 contribution from the family of Floyd to the community at the Minneapolis intersection where the victim died, which residents barricaded against police access and filled it with flowers and other tributes to Floyd. Whereas the Minneapolis Police Department fired all four officers, including Chauvin, the day after the deadly arrest.
