In the four years since mass protests broke out over the killing of George Floyd, cities across the US have settled more than 130 lawsuits involving police misconduct with payouts totaling nearly $150m to protesters, journalists, legal observers and bystanders, according to an analysis of the lawsuits published this week.
The settlements, which include some of the largest payouts over protest-related police actions to date, also forced a slew of reforms on to departments, including restrictions on the use of so-called “less lethal” weapons. Taken together, the report notes, the lawsuits’ outcomes fundamentally refute the narrative that the protests were violent and underscore how it was the police response to them that broke laws and violated rights.
“After reviewing so many lawsuits, a consistent story emerges: cops had zero interest in honoring the first amendment rights of protesters,” said Sue Udry, executive director of the free speech group Defending Rights & Dissent and author of the report. “The most successful lawsuits won restitution for individuals and significant new restrictions on police. But they are piecemeal, and no substitute for systemic change.”
Being a cop has a lot of perks. You get to make up shit and if they don’t like it, you get to scream that they’re resisting arrest. You even get to rough up people once in a while. If you accidentally kill them, most of the time, you just get fired and then you move to join another city. You don’t even have to pay! And even better, you have no obligation to actually protect and serve. That school shooting? Nah… Imma play Wordle.
It’s a really sweet gig. I highly recommend being a cop if you love having power and are a POS.
Correction: They rarely get fired for killing someone. If they do, then they move to another jurisdiction while getting a sweet lateral hire bonus for already having experience as a cop.