St. Louis BLM rioters get portion of $4.9M settlement for mass arrests after 2017 officer acquittal in Smith case.
St. Louis Residents Cash In on $4.9 Million Settlement After Officer Acquittal
In 2017, St. Louis area residents found themselves in the midst of protests and unrest following the acquittal of a white police officer in the death of a black man. Now, they are finally seeing some justice.
The city recently agreed to a $4.9 million settlement, promising to compensate 84 individuals who were arrested after the officer, Jason Stockley, was found not guilty in the death of Anthony Lamar Smith. The first checks were distributed on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
Stockley had pursued Smith after suspecting a drug deal, ultimately shooting him to death. The ruling in Stockley’s case sparked riots, resulting in injuries to 11 police officers and damage to the home of then-St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson.
However, the protesters fought back, filing a lawsuit against the city. They argued that the police tactic used, known as “kettling,” was unjust as it involved surrounding and arresting everyone in a given area.
In addition to the group settlement, three individuals filed individual lawsuits and settled for $85,000 each. The payouts in the group settlement will range from $28,000 to over $150,000. The city, however, denied any wrongdoing in the settlement agreement, as reported by KSDK.
One recipient of the settlement, Dekita Roberts, initially thought the call she received about her payment was a scam. She expressed her shock and surprise, stating that her goal is to invest the money and secure a better future for her children, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
St. Louis has now paid over $10 million in total due to the actions of the police on the night of Stockley’s acquittal. This includes compensation of $5 million to Luther Hall, a black undercover officer who was assaulted by fellow officers, and $115,000 to a Kansas City filmmaker who claimed he was beaten and pepper-sprayed during the protests, according to the AP.
While the settlement brings some closure, attorney Javad Khazaeli criticized the slow pace of the payouts, stating that other cities have completed similar processes and trials within a year and a half. He also highlighted the fear that still exists among residents towards the police, causing some to move away from St. Louis, as reported by The Western Journal.
It is worth noting that New York City recently agreed to pay over $13 million to approximately 1,300 people to settle a civil rights lawsuit, as reported by the Associated Press. The St. Louis settlement has faced criticism from outlets like The Gateway Pundit, who labeled it as another example of Democrat-run cities offering massive payouts to leftist protesters and rioters.
Justice may have been delayed, but for the St. Louis residents involved, it has finally arrived in the form of a significant settlement.
Source: The Western Journal
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