Columbus City Council settled a federal lawsuit with six people, including four protesters, who say Columbus police injured them during the Black Lives Matter protests that happened in the summer of 2020.
A total of $800,000 will go to four protesters, a street medic and a legal observer: Hana Ortiz Sanchez, Liz Andromeda, Duck Barbus, Ryan McMullen, Morgen Morrissete and Lena Tenney. Columbus has now spent more than $6.5 million settling lawsuits brought by supporters of the racial justice and police reform movement.
In the lawsuit, each person said they were struck either with knee knocker bullets and tear gas cannisters or assaulted by police officers who shoved them or grabbed them by the throat.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs did not respond to a request for comment.
Columbus Department of Public Safety Director Kate McSweeney-Pishotti said in a statement she's very proud of how Columbus has progressed, evolved and become a national model in how to respond to protests the right way.
McSweeney-Pishotti pointed to reforms like creating the Civilian Police Review Board and the police dialogue team and restricting the use of tear gas and pepper spray on non-violent protesters.
