New York to pay racial justice protesters penned in by police

NEW YORK: New York City has agreed to pay thousands of dollars to several hundred protesters who say they were penned in by police, a tactic known as “kettling,” during racial justice protests in 2020, court documents show.

Some 300 people are in line to receive $21,500 each if a judge approves the proposed settlement that will end a class action lawsuit brought by five demonstrators. The sum is believed to be the highest ever paid to individuals in the United States relating to mass arrests and could end up costing the city around $6 million.

The lawsuit, filed in October 2020, accused New York police of a “brutal response” to the demonstrations that followed the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers.