Denver will pay another George Floyd protester $160,000
Denver, CO – The City of Denver approved on Tuesday a $160,000 payment to Sammie Leon Lawrence IV, who was shot by police in the chest with PepperBalls during the George Floyd protests in May of 2020.
According to Mr. Lawrence’s lawyers, the police body cam footage showed that the crowd at the protest was predominantly white.
“Our client is a Black man. It was notable to us that very few people were arrested at this location at this point in the protest. But the person who they singled out, shot in the chest with PepperBalls, even though he didn’t resist or flee, and then ultimately arrested and held overnight, was a Black man.”
Lawrence filed the suit in federal court against the City and County of Denver, as well as against Denver police officers Shawn Saunders, Kenneth Bridges and Jackson Burkin.
One week ago, the City Council approved another $325,000 payment to a couple also shot with PepperBalls by police during the 2020 protests.
Payouts for police brutality by the City of Denver PD hit an all-time high in 2022. In March, a Denver court awarded $14 million in damages to a group of protesters who sued local police for use of excessive force during the 2020 George Floyd peaceful demonstrations.
The civil trial in the U.S. District Court of Colorado was the first in the U.S. connected to police conduct during the 2020 protests that shook the country after the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis cop.
“I have a right to live and not be wrongfully persecuted for my personhood,” Lawrence said. “I love you, Colorado, however, you have to do better, we must be better.”
“What we haven’t heard from the Denver Police Department is contrition and a recognition that what they did to the residents of Denver, who were expressing their outrage of police misconduct, was just unacceptable and beyond the pale,” he added.
What kind of damages can you get in a police brutality lawsuit?
If you were injured during an encounter with Denver law enforcement agents, you have the right to file a civil lawsuit for police brutality. All you have to do is contact an experienced Denver police brutality lawyer and let them help you gather the proof you need.
You are entitled to seek compensatory damages, covering your economic and non-economic losses.
Economic damages refer to medical bills and lost wages.
Non-economic damages are meant to compensate you for your pain and suffering, as well as for your humiliation and loss of reputation. As these are intangible losses, only knowledgeable Colorado police brutality lawyers can tell you how much your case is worth. It depends on the severity of your injuries and the extent to which they affected your life.
Most police brutality lawsuits never make it to court and are usually settled through negotiations between your lawyers and the City Council.
If you were a victim of any type of police misconduct, you should contact an experienced civil rights lawyer at the Bryan & Terrill law firm to see if you have a case.
Contact info:
333 W. Hampden Ave., #420B
Englewood, CO 80110
(720) 923-2333
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