DOJ to pay $88Million to Survivors & families of Emanuel AME Church massacre

[BiggWebb79]

DOJ reaches $88M settlement with survivors, families of 9 killed in racist attack at Emanuel AME Church

WASHINGTON (AP) — Families of nine victims killed, and survivors, in a racist attack at a Black South Carolina church have reached a settlement with the Justice Department over a faulty background check that allowed Dylann Roof to purchase the gun he used in the 2015 massacre.

The $88 million deal, which includes $63 million for the families of the slain and $25 million for survivors of the shooting, was set to be announced Thursday in Washington, Bakari Sellers, an attorney who helped broker the agreement, told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Sellers said the “88” figure was purposeful. It’s a number typically associated with white supremacy and the number of bullets Roof said he had taken with him to the attack.

“We’ve given a big ‘F you’ to white supremacy and racism,” Sellers told AP. “We’re doing that by building generational wealth in these Black communities, from one of the most horrific race crimes in the country.”

According to the Justice Department, settlements for the families of those killed range from $6 million to $7.5 million per claimant. Survivors’ settlements are $5 million per claimant.
Months before the June 17, 2015 church shooting, Roof was arrested on Feb. 28 by Columbia, South Carolina police on the drug possession charge. But a series of clerical errors and missteps allowed Roof to buy the handgun he later used in the massacre.

The errors included wrongly listing the sheriff’s office as the arresting agency in the drug case, according to court documents. An examiner with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System found some information on the arrest but needed more to deny the sale, so she sent a fax to a sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office responded it didn’t have the report, directing her to the Columbia police.

Under the system’s operating procedures, the examiner was directed to a federal listing of law enforcement agencies, but Columbia police did not appear on the list. After trying the separate West Columbia Police Department and being told it was the wrong agency, the examiner did nothing more.

After a three-day waiting period, Roof went back to a West Columbia store to pick up the handgun.

The lawsuit for a time was thrown out, with a judge writing that an examiner followed procedures but also blasting the federal government for what he called its “abysmally poor policy choices” in how it runs the national database for firearm background checks. The suit was subsequently reinstated by a federal appeals court.

“The mass shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church was a horrific hate crime that caused immeasurable suffering for the families of the victims and the survivors,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “Since the day of the shooting, the Justice Department has sought to bring justice to the community, first by a successful hate crime prosecution and today by settling civil claims.”

In 2017, Roof became the first person in the U.S. sentenced to death for a federal hate crime. Authorities have said Roof opened fire during the Bible study at the church, raining down dozens of bullets on those assembled. He was 21 at the time.

The slain included the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, pastor of the AME Emanuel Church, a state senator, as well as other pillars of the community. They all shared deep devotion to the church, known as Mother Emanuel, and passed that faith along to their families, many of whom offered Roof forgiveness when he appeared in court just days after the attack.

The FBI has acknowledged that Roof’s drug possession arrest should have prevented him from buying a gun.

Speaking with AP in Washington ahead of the news conference, Pinckney’s eldest daughter recalled the night of the shooting and said she was committed to maintaining her father’s legacy, who died when she was 11.

“I’ve done whatever I can to keep his memory alive and to carry on his legacy throughout my life,” Eliana Pinckney, 17, told AP.

“Just to make sure that the memories that I have with him can be shared with other people so that other people are inspired by the life that he lived, and the life that he would keep living if he was still here.”

The deal, which was reached earlier this month, is still pending a judge’s approval, Sellers said.

“All nine of these families have been so strong, and they deserve this closure,” Sellers said. “Of course we wanted more, but this is just, and this is justice, and finally, these families can say that they got it.”
https://www.counton2.com/news/local...9-killed-in-racist-attack-emanuel-ame-church/

 

[Crude]

No amount of money will bring those people’s loved ones back but this is a start to healing.

Hopefully legislation is passed to prevent situations like this from happening in the future.

 

[Sonic Boom of the South]

Hope that helps them in some way

 

[Heretic]

Good... they deserve more.

 

[Ya' Cousin Cleon]

No amount of legislation or resources can combat white supremacy

that falls on us putting our foot up they ass and one where they blink.

No amount of money will bring those people’s loved ones back but this is a start to healing.

Hopefully legislation is passed to prevent situations like this from happening in the future.

 

[hatealot]

Root of the problem is the amount of guns available on the street. But we not gonna talk about that though right?

The south supplies most of the guns in this whole country.

If it wasn't a legal buy, it would be a private buy.

And it's very easy to buy a gun in the street.

There's nikka right now with a whole surbuburan with guns in one truck and ammo in another truck. Trafficking.

fukk it, mail the gun on pieces and then put it together after everyone gets the drop off . Assemble the gun.

 

[Neo. The Only. The One.]

What will the brehs in the other thread have to say about this?

I mean, I'm still MAGA but this does look like black ppl getting money under Crime Bill Joe.

And its a heck of a lot more than 500k.

 

[Htrb-nvr-blk-&-ug-as-evr]

If I was one of the survivors, I almost would give up the settlement just to have 5 hours of time alone with that cracker and a hacksaw..

 

[Doobie Doo]

Root of the problem is the amount of guns available on the street. But we not gonna talk about that though right?

Right, we are talking about Dylan Roof legally purchasing a firearm and not this sidenote that has nothing to do with the case

 

[bourgeoisie tall freak]

No amount of money will bring those people’s loved ones back but this is a start to healing.

Hopefully legislation is passed to prevent situations like this from happening in the future.

there is explicit legislation to prevent this situation.... it just wasn't followed... hence the winning lawsuit

 

[RedCloakBlackWraithe]

that's it?

 

[Sonic Boom of the South]

Root of the problem is the amount of guns available on the street. But we not gonna talk about that though right?

The south supplies most of the guns in this whole country.

If it wasn't a legal buy, it would be a private buy.

And it's very easy to buy a gun in the street.

There's nikka right now with a whole surbuburan with guns in one truck and ammo in another truck. Trafficking.

fukk it, mail the gun on pieces and then put it together after everyone gets the drop off . Assemble the gun.

Yeah white supremacy and racism def not the root problem right?

Am i right? ​

 

[lightskin jermaine]

Good.

 

[kevm3]

good.