Oakland’s City Council has approved a $1.5 million settlement for 25 plaintiffs who filed a lawsuit last year alleging significant police violence at protests over the murder of George Floyd.
The Anti Police-Terror Project, Community Ready Corps, and 27 individuals filed a lawsuit against the city, its former interim police chief, and three police officers. They claimed the city and police violated their free speech rights, used excessive force – including widespread employment of “impact munitions” – and falsely arrested them during protests from May 29th to June 1st, 2020.
Thousands demonstrated in downtown Oakland to protest the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. A couple of weeks later – following widespread criticism about the Oakland Police Department’s handling – a federal judge issued a temporary order limiting the department’s use of tear gas and nonlethal munitions.
Last year, Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong stated his officers violated the department's use-of-force policy 35 times during the protests. Their punishment included suspensions and written reprimands.
