In the four years since mass protests erupted after the killing of George Floyd, cities across the U.S. have settled over 130 lawsuits related to police misconduct. The settlements amount to nearly $150 million given to protesters, journalists, legal observers, and bystanders, found a new analysis of the lawsuits. The settlements, which include some of the largest payouts over protest-related police actions to date, fundamentally refute the narrative that the protests were violent and underscore how it was the police response to them that broke laws and violated rights, The Guardian reports. “After reviewing so many lawsuits, a consistent story emerges: cops had zero interest in honoring the First Amendment rights of protesters,” said Sue Udry of the free speech group Defending Rights & Dissent and author of the report. “The most successful lawsuits won restitution for individuals and significant new restrictions on police. But they are piecemeal, and no substitute for systemic change.”
Floyd’s killing captured in a viral video prompted millions of people to take to the streets in protests that led to about 17,000 arrests in the first two weeks alone. While the vast majority of protests were peaceful, police regularly responded in full riot gear, "kettling" demonstrators and making mass arrests for non-violent offenses like curfew violations. The settlements counter the narrative promoted at the time by the Trump administration that called the demonstrations “riots” and protesters “terrorists”. Instead, the analysis shows, it was often police that escalated tensions and violated protesters’ rights. Many of the settlements were also catalysts for reforms. Some forced cities to impose transparency measures such as requirements that police turn on their body cameras and display their badge numbers, restrictions on the use of less-lethal weapons, and changes to local rules that unduly restricted the right to protest. “Police presence at protests needs to be minimized,” Udry said. “Their role should only be protecting the right to protest, controlling traffic – not arresting people because they’re in the street.”