Daily US Times: On Friday, the Minneapolis city agreed to pay $27 million to settle a civil lawsuit from George Floyd family over his death in police custody, as jury selection continued in a former officer’s murder trial.
Council members met privately to discuss the settlement with Mr Floyd’s family, then returned to public session for a unanimous vote in support of the massive payout. The city easily surpassed the $20 million two years ago to the family of a white woman killed by a police officer.
Floyd family attorney Ben Crump thanked city leaders for “showing you care about George Floyd.” The attorney called it the largest pretrial settlement ever for a civil rights claim.
Crump said: “It’s going to be a long journey to justice. This is just one step on the journey to justice.”
“This makes a statement that George Floyd deserved better than what we witnessed on May 25, 2020, that George Floyd’s life mattered, and that by extension, Black lives matter,” he added.
Philonise Floyd said even though my brother is not here, he’s here with me in my heart.
Another attorney named L. Chris Stewart, who also worked with the family, said the size of the settlement “changes evaluations and civil rights for a Black person when they die.”
Floyd was declared dead on May 25 last year after white police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against his neck for about nine minutes.
His death sparked sometimes violent protests in Minneapolis and beyond and led to a national reckoning on racial justice.
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