The city of Philadelphia will pay more than $9 million in a record-breaking settlement with protesters. Those protesters were pepper sprayed and hit with tear gas in protests following George Floyd’s death in the spring of 2020. The money will be split among 350 people who participated in protests for racial justice.
Police used tear gas, shot rubber bullets and pepper sprayed people blocking a major interstate in Philadelphia. Some of those protestors claimed they had to be hospitalized from the tear gas fumes, have physical scars from rubber bullets, and suffer from mental trauma following the confrontations with authorities.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said the city’s police department is a learning organization and will continue to work toward improving policing in the city.
Philadelphia protestors aren’t the first in the country to get compensated following confrontations with police in 2020. New York City just agreed to pay around $7 million to more than 300 protestors.
