Detroit Offers to Pay Black Lives Matter Protesters $1.3M for Violent Assaults by Police to Silence Speech

From [HERE] The city is moving to offer nearly $1.3 million to protesters in five pending lawsuits, the vast majority going to Detroit Will Breathe which has alleged Detroit officers used excessive force during the George Floyd protests in 2020.

The Detroit City Council in its last seven-hour session Tuesday before recessing through September, unanimously approved a package totaling $1,265,000.

In the proposed settlement, $1,035,000 would go to Detroit Will Breathe and 14 plaintiffs. Another $150,000 would go to Nadia Rohr, while $60,000 would be paid to Emma Howland-Bolton and four plaintiffs. Another $10,000 each would go to Marlon Frazier and Timothy Hall.

During the May 2020 protests in Detroit, one man was killed and dozens arrested as peaceful daytime protests in the city gave way to violence on a Friday night. Demonstrators displayed anger over police brutality in America, clashing with city police who fought back with tear gas. Over that summer, dozens were arrested during protests held at the sites where Detroiters had died at the hands of police-involved shootings.

Deputy Corporation Counsel Chuck Raimi told The Detroit News in a Tuesday statemen: "The overwhelming majority of Detroit Police Department officers conducted themselves with courage and honor during the George Floyd protests, despite innumerable violent attacks and other shameful conduct by protestors.”

He continued: “The City’s law department’s offers of judgment reflect the unfortunate reality that in our litigious society, and particularly in cases of this sort where plaintiffs’ lawyers (but not the City’s lawyers) have the opportunity to recover enormous attorney fees payable by the City, the City’s financial interests may be best served by seeking a settlement."

Detroit Will Breathe's offer lists 14 plaintiffs with various settlement amounts including  $45,000 each to leaders Tristan Taylor, Jazten Bass, Margaret Henige; $90,000 each to Nakia Wallace and Iman Saleh; $75,000 to Lauryn Brennan; $120,000 to Amy Nahabedian; $150,0000 to Caylee Arnold; and $250,000 to Alexander Anest.

The offers do not include attorney fees, but should the protesters accept the offers, their attorney fees would be liable by the city, according to an offer signed off on by Detroit Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett Jr.

Taylor, co-founder of Detroit Will Breathe, told The Detroit News they are discussing the issue with their attorneys and did not comment further.