MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL AGRRES $27M SETTLEMENT TO GEORGE FLOYD’S FAMILY

The Minneapolis, Minnesota city council voted unanimously on Friday to pay $27m to settle a lawsuit filed by George Floyd‘s family.⁣

In July, Floyd’s family sued the city and the four police officers charged in his death last May.⁣

The suit alleged the officers violated Floyd’s rights when they restrained him, and that the city allowed a culture of excessive force, racism and impunity to flourish in its police force.⁣

The $27m settlement also includes a $500,000 contribution from the Floyd family to the neighbourhood where Floyd died.⁣

Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died on May 25 after officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes while Floyd pleaded “I can’t breathe” and bystanders implored the officers to let him go.⁣

Along with Chauvin, two other officers held Floyd to the ground while he was handcuffed. Floyd was arrested on suspicion of his using a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes at a Minneapolis grocery store. His death sparked protests in Minneapolis and across the US and led to a nationwide reckoning on racial justice.⁣