opinion
The city of Seattle has agreed to pay $10 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Black Lives Matter protesters who claimed they were victims of excessive force during 2020 demonstrations.
The settlement comes after years of legal battles and negotiations between the city and protesters.
A group of 50 BLM protesters filed the lawsuit claiming that the Seattle Police Department was a bit too heavy-handed during the demonstrations following the death of George Floyd.
Floyd died in 2020 during an excessive force arrest by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, sparking nationwide protests and unprovoked race riots.
Doing the math, the settlement amounts to $200,000 for each protester involved in the lawsuit.
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Black Lives Matter gets paid big for rioting
A statement from the city attorney in Seattle seemed to indicate that the $10 million payday was just a way to settle the matter and move on.
“This decision was the best financial decision for the city considering the risk, cost and insurance,” he said. “This case has been a significant drain on the city’s time and resources, and would have continued to do so during an estimated three-month trial that was scheduled to begin in May.”
It's never a good strategy to give in to extortionists, especially ones who have burned and looted your city for months on end.
You can't reward a child who steals a cookie by giving him $10 to buy more cookies.
Lawyers for Black Lives Matter protesters claimed their clients suffered a full range of injuries ranging from hearing loss and broken bones to “emotional damage.”
Will the BLM use some of this money to pay for the emotional damage it has caused to local businesses?
Journalist Andy Njo, who documented many of the riots, explains that such payments “encourage future riots.”
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Who pays for the damage they did?
According to various reports, the Seattle riots caused millions of dollars in damage to businesses, public buildings, and infrastructure.
The Seattle Police Department reported that more than 100 officers were injured during the protests, and several businesses were looted, vandalized, and set on fire.
The Seattle City Attorney's Office estimated that the total cost of property damage and other expenses related to the riot was about $200 million.
This figure includes damage to private businesses and public buildings and the cost of deploying law enforcement and other emergency services during unrest.
These companies received much less than $10 million. In fact, the business owners received $3,650,000 in damages it causes By Black Lives Matter protests, according to court filings.
As for something for you I cannot To put a price on it, there were reports of two deaths during Black Lives Matter protests in Seattle.
One of these incidents involved a 19-year-old man who was shot and killed in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) area, and another involved a 32-year-old woman who was struck by a car while protesting in a closed section. Highway 5.
Several other shootings occurred in that seven-block area that police had to abandon during the “Summer of Love.”
What do you think of this? Let us know in the comments section.
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