by Mel Reeves and Christopher Mark Juhn
According to Newsweek, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey responds to a question asked by Toshira Garraway Allen at a press conference after the Minneapolis City Council approve a $27 million settlement with the Floyd family.
The announcement that the City of Minneapolis had agreed to settle the wrongful death suit brought by the family of George Floyd for $27 million stirred a bit of controversy, but it brought little relief to a community that overwhelmingly lacks faith in the justice system.
The announcement was made last Friday at the same time, and less than a mile away at the Hennepin County Government Center, attorneys for the defense and the prosecution were questioning potential jurors for the Derek Chauvin murder trial.
“This lynching can’t be wiped away by money. This money won’t replace his life,” said Reverend Brian Herron, pastor of Zion Baptist Church. “If justice is going to be served, then there must be convictions of every officer involved in George Floyd’s death. You can’t buy the conscience of the people nor absolve your own conscience by throwing money around.”
The somewhat celebratory tone of the press conference made it appear that both parties, the City and the family’s lawyers, had reached an amicable agreement. The family’s lead attorney Ben Crump used the word “grateful” several times. One of the attorneys made reference to policy adjustments involving police, which were revealed to the public for the first time.
The settlement is reportedly the largest pre-trial payout in U.S. history involving wrongful death at the hands of police. In Minnesota, it exceeds the $20 million settlement awarded to the family of Justine Damond Ruszczyk, who was killed in July 2017 by former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor. Noor was found guilty of third-degree murder in that case.
Community perspectives
“Regardless of the outcome of the criminal trial, this settlement is a clear acknowledgment by the City of Minneapolis that Officer Chauvin’s actions directly contributed to Floyd’s death. While the award will help the Floyd family move forward with their lives, there is no amount of money that will bring Floyd back,” wrote Justice for Justine Coalition in a release. The organization of neighbors and activists came together to press for justice for Damond Ruszczyk after her death.
“We must also remember that this settlement does nothing to alleviate the suffering of families of other police violence victims who never received a commensurate award. Hundreds of Minnesotans have died at the hands of the police since 2000, many of whom under circumstances equally as egregious as those suffered by George Floyd.
But the legal system seized every opportunity it could to side with police and deny the families of these victims any measure of compensation for the wrongs they suffered. More must be done to prevent future similar tragedies, and it is the responsibility of the City of Minneapolis, not the Floyd family, to use its resources to bring about those reforms,” the release states.
Many in the community share the coalition’s sentiments.
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