From [HERE] The Minneapolis City Council approved four separate settlements Thursday totaling more than $700,000 to resolve claims of unreasonable and excessive force by police in response to demonstrations following the deaths of George Floyd and Winston Smith.

The largest award was issued to a group of 11 Minnesotans and one former Iowa resident who filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court accusing the Minneapolis Police Department of targeting them with tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray as they peacefully protested in the immediate aftermath of Floyd's murder.

Most of the plaintiffs were marching along the Interstate 35W bridge on May 31, 2020, when an oil tanker barreled toward the large crowd at high speed, forcing protesters to scatter in every direction. When MPD and other law enforcement arrived, they did not seek to discover whether anyone was injured, the suit alleges, instead focusing on the safety of the truck driver.

"In other blatant displays of excessive force, captured on video, MPD officers can be seen spraying tear gas and pepper spray indiscriminately out of their squad car windows while driving through peaceful protests," according to a 60-page civil suit.

After a closed-door session Thursday, 12 City Council members unanimously voted to award $50,000 to each named plaintiff in the case, which included civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong, her husband, Marques Armstrong, and Hennepin Healthcare's Dr. Max Fraden. (Council Member Andrew Johnson was absent for the vote.)

The city also agreed to an injunction that, subject to court approval, would bar MPD from unlawfully using rubber bullets, Mace and tear gas as a crowd control measure against those exercising their First Amendment rights, said Minneapolis-based attorney Joshua J. Rissman, a partner with Gustafson Gluek PLLC. [MORE]