Denver to pay $4.7 million to settle claims it targeted George Floyd protesters for violating curfew

Source: Associated Press

Denver to pay $4.7 million to settle claims it targeted George Floyd protesters for violating curfew

Updated 8:15 PM EDT, August 28, 2023

DENVER (AP) — Denver will pay $4.7 million to settle a class action lawsuit that alleged that protesters were unjustly targeted for violating the city’s curfew during demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd in 2020.

City councilors unanimously agreed to the deal Monday without any debate.

The lawsuit alleged that the city directed police to only enforce the emergency 8 p.m. curfew against protesters, violating their free speech rights, even though the curfew applied to all people in any public place. It also said that over 300 protesters were taken to jail in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic rather than just being issued tickets for violating the curfew.

“The First Amendment does not allow police to clear the streets of protestors simply because they do not agree with their message,” the lead attorney for the protesters, Elizabeth Wang, said in a statement.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/george-floyd-2020-protest-denver-curfew-b3cf226893bc1d7b7a5700205bd9a667