March 26 (UPI) — A federal jury has awarded $14 million in compensation to 12 protesters whose rights were violated when Denver police used excessive force during 2020 protests against the death of George Floyd.
The jury determined Friday that the Denver Police Department failed to properly train its officers, leading to brutality against the protesters. The panel said the plaintiffs’ First and Fourth Amendment rights were violated.
The plaintiffs welcomed the decision.
“There’s such a balm on my soul right now from that verdict,” Elisabeth Epps told The Denver Post.
The verdict came after a three-week trial in which attorneys for the plaintiffs showed police body-camera footage, and questioned experts and eye witnesses.
One plaintiff told the court police targeted her, giving her bruises, because she was recording them with a cellphone. Another had a skull fracture after he said an officer struck him in the head with a projectile, KDVR-TV in Denver reported.
Defense attorney Lindsay Jordan said during the trial that it was inappropriate to view the officers’ actions during the May 2020 protests with the “lens of hindsight.”
“You have to look at the totality of circumstances,” Jordan said.
“To hold Denver liable for the acts of those officers, those officers must have been acting pursuant to an official policy, practice or custom of Denver,” she said.
The DPD announced changes to its use of force policy in June 2020, banning all chokeholds and implementing new requirements for body-worn cameras. The policy changes came after protests in response to the death of Floyd.
Floyd died May 25, 2020, after then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for several minutes during an arrest for alleged counterfeit money use. A Minnesota jury sentenced Chauvin to more than 22 years in prison for the murder.
