Minneapolis City Council on Friday approved a $ 27 million civil settlement with George Floyd’s family for the death of the black man in police custody last year. City Hall voted 13-0 to approve the settlement, which directs $ 500,000 that will go to benefit the George Floyd Memorial site at 38th and Chicago.
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, is being prosecuted for murder and manslaughter. Three other ex-officers involved in the deadly detention are charged with aiding and abetting and will be tried jointly in August. The family lawsuit was filed against the city on July 15, alleging that the four former officers violated Floyd’s rights when they detained him, CBS Minnesota reported.
“Mr. Floyd died because the weight of the entire Minneapolis police department was on his neck,” said attorney Ben Crump, who represents the family, when the lawsuit was filed.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Floyd’s death caused a “centennial calculation about racial justice that struck Minneapolis like lightning” and reverberated around the world. Frey said the agreement reflected a commitment to advancing racial justice and thanked Floyd’s family for collaborating with the city on reform measures.
In statements Friday, Floyd’s family said they appreciated the deal, but said no amount of money could cure the pain of his loss.
“Even though my brother isn’t here, he’s here with me at heart,” Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, said. “Because if I could get him back, I would give him back all that.”
Floyd said his brother started a movement and thanked supporters, especially those who took to the streets to protest amid a pandemic.
“Put your lives online; there’s nothing I can do to be able to pay for this because you’ve shown who you are,” Philonise Floyd said.
Crump called the settlement “historic” and thanked city leaders, who he described as “progressive and deeply moral.” Crump said the deal sends a message that unjust black massacres should not be canceled as “trivial, unimportant or unworthy of consequences.”
“George Floyd’s family and our legal team are very grateful to Mayor Frey and the City Council for not only saying they care about George Floyd, but they show that they care about George Floyd, not just saying that black lives they’re important, but they show the world that black lives matter, ”Crump said.
Crump noted that Saturday marks an anniversary, a year since the deadly police attack Breonna Taylor in Louisville during a raid on the police raid. Floyd and Taylor will be “forever tied to the story as two people who have been taken from us by the people who were supposed to protect them, serve them,” Crump said.
Floyd’s family has been in contact with Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, Crump said.
Crump also advocated for protesters to remain peaceful while the Chauvin trial continues with jury selection.
In a statement, Floyd’s sister Bridgett Floyd, who was not attending, said: “I am pleased that this part of our tragic journey to justice for my brother George has been resolved.”
“Our family suffered an irreplaceable loss on May 25 when a Minneapolis police officer took George’s life senselessly,” Bridgett Floyd said. “While we will never regain our beloved George, we will continue to work tirelessly to make this world a better and safer place for everyone.”
The lawsuit also said the city allowed a culture of excessive force and racism to proliferate within the police department. Speaking Friday, attorneys representing members of Floyd’s family said he was encouraged to suffer from the Minneapolis police department. substantial reforms, but will drive more changes.
Attorney Antonio Romanucci said the family hopes more reforms will be implemented in the police department, including a group to review all incidents of force use, a quality assurance unit to ensure compliance with reforms and an early intervention system that will be based on analytics to identify problem agents. He said the deal should be a “wake-up call” so police departments across the country could undertake reforms quickly to prevent unnecessary death and serious injury.
“This case has established itself as a turning point for civil rights in America and around the world,” Romanucci said. “I can tell you … this seems like a turning point for police reform, but only because conscious decisions were made to do so.”