George Floyd's 'historic' $27 million to Breonna Taylor's $12 million, inside big settlements from cop killings
Last week, George Floyd's family received a 'historic' settlement of $27 million from the Minneapolis City Council, for the civil lawsuit filed against Minneapolis City and four police officers involved in the brutal killing of Floyd on May 25, 2020.
In a shocking video from the date, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin can be seen choking the 46-year-old Floyd's neck under his knee, for over nine minutes, while he repeatedly gasped for help saying "I can't breathe." His death was deemed to be a scathing instance of racial atrocity since Floyd was a Black victim of police brutality on trivial charges. As Chauvin awaits the verdict of his ongoing trial while in custody, Floyd's brother Rodney remarked that the settlement was "a necessary step" towards closure.
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Floyd is one of the many victims of police brutality against Blacks in the USA, a recurring curse that catalyzed the revolutionary Black Lives Matter movement across the world. Public outrage and sustained activism against racism in America helped Floyd's family secure a rightful settlement against their lawsuit. Alongside Floyd, the families of other victims of racism like Breonna Taylor, Laquan McDonald, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Akai Gurley also received considerable settlement amounts for the wrongful deaths of these Black individuals. However, in most cases, the police officers responsible for the murders are yet to be brought to justice.
Let us have a look at all the settlements against the brutal police killings of Black individuals in the recent history of USA.
George Floyd: $27 Million
"That the largest pre-trial settlement in a wrongful death case ever would be for the life of a Black man sends a powerful message that Black lives do matter and police brutality against people of color must end," Floyd's family lawyer Ben Crump said in a powerful statement, after his family received the historic settlement.
The settlement, which was unanimously agreed upon by the members of the Minneapolis City Council, marked the highest amount ever approved by the City for any settlement.
Breonna Taylor: $12 Million
On March 13, 2020, Taylor was shot to death by police officers who barged into her home and awakened Taylor and her boyfriend Kenneth Walker. When Walker fired once at the officers assuming they were intruders, the police returned fire and gunned down Taylor. The officers, who were reportedly acting on a no-knock warrant, did not face any charges except one cop who faces criminal charges for firing bullets into another occupied apartment.
In September 2020, the city of Louisville, Kentucky, agreed to pay $12 Million to Breonna Taylor's family, along with the promise of reforming police practices.
Freddie Gray: $6.4 Million
In April 2015, 25-year-old Freddie Gray was arrested and subjected to police brutality inside the police van, causing his death from injuries. The incident led to the charging of six Baltimore police officers, of whom three were acquitted and the rest of the charges were dropped by prosecutors in a hung jury in 2016.
In September 2015, Gray's family came to an agreement with the city for a settlement of $6.4 Million.
Tamir Rice: $6 Million
The death of Tamir Rice is perhaps one of the most tragic cases of racism in USA, where the 12-year-old boy was shot dead by police officer Timothy Loehmann for possessing a toy airgun.
The Cleveland police officers were responding to a 9-1-1 report of a person waving a gun at strangers. Tamir had a soft pellet airgun tucked into his waistband which aroused suspicion and ultimately prompted Loehmann to shoot him down within seconds. Contrary to Loehmann's claims, he shot Rice almost immediately after reaching the scene, as the surveillance video footage shows him shooting from the car while the car is yet to stop. Rice died from the bullet wounds the next day.
Tamir Rice's family filed a lawsuit against the city of Cleveland on account of wrongful death, which was eventually settled for $6 million.
His 'killer' cop Loehmann was not indicted for the murder of the child, and is currently seeking to rejoin the Cleveland police force.
Eric Garner: $6 Million
Similar to George Floyd's case, 43-year-old Eric Garner from New York City died in July 2014 after a White officer placed him in a deadly chokehold. His crime was selling loose cigarettes.
While the city agreed to pay a settlement of $6 Million to his family, the jury declined to indict the officer and refrained from filing civil rights charges after a detailed investigation.
Laquan McDonald: $5 Million
Laquan McDonald from Chicago was 17-years-old when he was shot dead by police officer Jason Van Dyke, who reportedly shot the teenager 16 times.
In a rare instance of conviction, the police officer was adjudged guilty of second-degree murder in October 2018 and was sentenced to six years imprisonment.
While McDonald's family initially sued for $16 Million, signifying a million for each bullet, they eventually agreed to settle for $5 million.
Akai Gurley: $4.1 Million
28-year-old Akai Gurley was killed in November 2014 by NYC police officer Peter Liang. The death of Gurley was tragic and accidental, as Liang fired his gun by mistake during his patrol duty, when he was startled by a sound, As Liang fired his gun, the bullet ricocheted off a wall and hit Gurley.
The city settled with Gurley's family for $4.1 Million. His killer cop was sentenced to five year's probation and 800 hours of community service.
Philando Castile: $3 Million
Castile was killed in 2016 in Minnesota, after officer Jeronimo Yanez fired at him when he reportedly tried to take his own gun out of the pocket. Castile, a Black motorist, informed the officer about carrying a gun moments before his death.
The accused officer was acquitted later while Castile's mother was offered a $3 Million settlement. Additionally, his girlfriend was paid $800,000 by the city of St. Anthony, Minnesota.
Michael Brown: $1.5 Million
In 2014, 18-year-old Michael Brown from Ferguson, Missouri was shot fatally by White police officer Darren Wilson. While Brown's death served as a catalyst for the Black Lives Matter movement, the accused officer did not face any indictment. His family has received $1.5 Million in a settlement.
Despite the considerate sums of settlement offered to them, the families of most of these victims are still awaiting justice for the wrongful death. Unfortunately, in most cases, the accused cops have either been acquitted or spared from indictment.