On Wednesday, a federal court gave approval to a plan by the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota to reward 12 Black Lives Matter rioters with a collective total of $600,000 over injuries they sustained during said riots.
The Daily Caller reports that the court’s decision settled a lawsuit originally filed by the far-left American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota (ACLU-MN) on behalf of the rioters, and subsequently forbids the city of Minneapolis from using force to suppress violent riots. The injunction by the Minnesota U.S. District Court also forces all Minneapolis police officers who are deployed to riots to wear body-cameras, and limits the police force’s use of chemical agents for dispelling riots.
“Tear gas, foam bullets and pepper spray became weapons for intimidating and hurting protesters, making it dangerous for people to exercise their First Amendment rights,” ACLU-MN Legal Director Teresa Nelson falsely declared. “We hope this settlement sends a message to law enforcement across Minnesota that this violation of our constitutional rights will not be tolerated.”
The 12 rioters claimed to have been injured by several conventional police methods of dispersing riots, including tear gas, rubber bullets, and foam; some of the injured said that they subsequently suffered from “bruises” as a result of their actions.
In a statement addressing the court’s ruling, the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) issued a statement: “The City Council approved a $600,000 settlement on Oct. 20, and Mayor Frey signed the Council action Oct. 26. The City Attorney’s Office executed and filed documents necessary to effectuate the settlement, and an order reflecting portions of that settlement were made public today.”
The riots began after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died of a fentanyl overdose while in police custody in Minneapolis, in May of 2020. His death was falsely blamed on the arresting officer, Derek Chauvin, and nationwide riots subsequently broke out, carried out by the far-left domestic terrorist groups Black Lives Matter and Antifa. While Minneapolis was the epicenter of the riots, many other cities across the nation were also targeted, with the violent campaign resulting in the death of dozens of American civilians and over $2 billion worth in damage overall.