_Anghellic_
Tia Mowry Bandwagon
By Lyonel Laverde-Hansen
A settlement this week has awarded monetary compensation to Ferguson, Missouri protesters from last year. Each protestor is to be awarded $2,500 each from the three separate law-enforcement agencies that had used tear gas against them. That amounts to around $7,500 per protester.
Police had fired tear gas at protesters in the riots following the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. According to The Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, police agencies have also agreed as part of the settlement of a federal lawsuit to limit the use of tear gas and other chemical means on future demonstrators. Lawyers represented St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar and Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ronald S. Johnson.
After issuing a temporary restraining order on police after a Dec. 11 hearing, United States District Judge Carol Jackson had been expected to dismiss the lawsuit Thursday, but maintaining supervision of compliance through Jan. 1, 2018. The restraining order had required that in the future, police had to give “reasonable” warning before using tear gas on protesters.
The settlement requires that officers do the following:
1) give “clear and unambiguous warnings before administering gas”
2) allow for “sufficient opportunity” for people in the area to exit
3) try to lessen the effect on those attempting to comply with law-enforcement demands
4) guarantee a safe escape route.
In addition to paying court costs, the agencies agreed additionally to avoid using gas as an intimidation tool or as punishment for those engaging in their constitutional rights. Police are expected to comply with the terms of the settlement and they will incorporate into formal training guidelines by Aug. 15.
As part of the settlement, plaintiffs Alexis Templeton, Maureen Costello, Brittany Ferrell, Steve Hoffman, Nile McClain and Kira Husdon dropped their individual claims. The plaintiffs had Thomas Harvey of ArchCity Defenders and Denise Lieberman of the Advancement Project serve as their legal counsel.
In a prepared joint statement, Attorney Harvey declared, “This victory rests on the shoulders of the courageous protesters who are tirelessly demonstrating in the streets of Ferguson, and it’s a testament to the powerful movement they have fostered.”
In the statement Lieberman said, “We had not seen this kind of excessive police force used against protesters since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.” She continued. “The use of tear gas in Ferguson has been a tactic to chill this movement, and today’s consent decree will finally put a stop to those efforts.”
http://financialjuneteenth.com/ferguson-cops-to-pay-7500-to-each-protestor-they-tear-gassed/
A settlement this week has awarded monetary compensation to Ferguson, Missouri protesters from last year. Each protestor is to be awarded $2,500 each from the three separate law-enforcement agencies that had used tear gas against them. That amounts to around $7,500 per protester.
Police had fired tear gas at protesters in the riots following the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. According to The Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, police agencies have also agreed as part of the settlement of a federal lawsuit to limit the use of tear gas and other chemical means on future demonstrators. Lawyers represented St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar and Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ronald S. Johnson.
After issuing a temporary restraining order on police after a Dec. 11 hearing, United States District Judge Carol Jackson had been expected to dismiss the lawsuit Thursday, but maintaining supervision of compliance through Jan. 1, 2018. The restraining order had required that in the future, police had to give “reasonable” warning before using tear gas on protesters.
The settlement requires that officers do the following:
1) give “clear and unambiguous warnings before administering gas”
2) allow for “sufficient opportunity” for people in the area to exit
3) try to lessen the effect on those attempting to comply with law-enforcement demands
4) guarantee a safe escape route.
In addition to paying court costs, the agencies agreed additionally to avoid using gas as an intimidation tool or as punishment for those engaging in their constitutional rights. Police are expected to comply with the terms of the settlement and they will incorporate into formal training guidelines by Aug. 15.
As part of the settlement, plaintiffs Alexis Templeton, Maureen Costello, Brittany Ferrell, Steve Hoffman, Nile McClain and Kira Husdon dropped their individual claims. The plaintiffs had Thomas Harvey of ArchCity Defenders and Denise Lieberman of the Advancement Project serve as their legal counsel.
In a prepared joint statement, Attorney Harvey declared, “This victory rests on the shoulders of the courageous protesters who are tirelessly demonstrating in the streets of Ferguson, and it’s a testament to the powerful movement they have fostered.”
In the statement Lieberman said, “We had not seen this kind of excessive police force used against protesters since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.” She continued. “The use of tear gas in Ferguson has been a tactic to chill this movement, and today’s consent decree will finally put a stop to those efforts.”
http://financialjuneteenth.com/ferguson-cops-to-pay-7500-to-each-protestor-they-tear-gassed/
common sense.
