Last year, a dozen protesters filed a suit against the city of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, several police officers and several sheriff’s deputies, accusing officers of using excessive force during what was meant to be a peaceful protest over the death of George Floyd. The protest, which took place in downtown Cleveland on May 30, 2020, led to the unlawful arrest of several citizens — one of whom said she was illegally held at the Cuyahoga County Jail for six days without charges.
Now, as a result of the 2021 lawsuit brought against it, the City of Cleveland has been ordered to pay 12 protesters a settlement of $540,000, Cleveland.com reports.
According to Cleveland civil rights attorneys Terry Gilbert and Sara Gelsomino, who represented the 12 plaintiffs, the money will be split evenly, Essence reports.
Aside from being held in jail for several days and released without charges, several demonstrators sustained injuries during the events. The physical offenses incurred by protesters included police officers pepper spraying them, striking them with batons, shooting them with pepper balls, launching canisters of chemical spray into the crowd and more.
Police “were unprepared, they were untrained, they were unsupervised, and they didn’t like the message on May 30, and they acted out,” lawyer Gelsominoan said, according to The Washington Post.
In addition, Gilbert shared that in part of the settlement, the city agreed to help those who were charged expunge their criminal records. The city also said it would provide more training to officers regarding how to handle crowd control at future protests.
Some of the protesters had a few words of encouragement for those who are fighting the good fight. Shainna Bernard, one of the 12, said it was surreal to stand in the very place where she was pepper-sprayed in the face while she peacefully held a sign. According to Cleveland.com, she urges people not to let this situation discourage anyone from protesting wherever they’re at because we “have to continue to fight.”
