Activist who had tooth knocked out by police officer at Grant Park protest could receive $280,000 settlement
By Todd Feurer
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — A Chicago activist who was roughed up by Chicago police during a protest in Grant Park in July 2020 is in line for a possible $280,000 settlement with the city.
The Chicago City Council Finance Committee is set to vote Monday on a $280,000 settlement with Miracle Boyd, who had at least one tooth knocked out by former Chicago police officer Nicholas Jovanovich during a protest near the Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park on July 17, 2020.
At the time, hundreds of people were rallying to defund the police in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, when some in the crowd tried to tear down the Columbus statue in Grant Park. Police have said some members of the crowd began attacking officers with fireworks, rocks, frozen bottles, and other objects.
Boyd, then 18, and an activist with GoodKids MadCity, was filming video on her cell phone when she saw Jovanovich “walking aggressively toward her,” and calling her a “piece of s***,” according to her lawsuit. Jovanovich then hit her in the face “without justification,” knocking out her tooth, and telling her “give me that f***ing phone.”
In addition to losing a tooth, Boyd also suffered nerve damage, according to her lawsuit.
The Columbus statue in Grant Park was removed on orders of then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot days later, and remains in storage.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which investigates allegations of police misconduct, ruled Jovanovich used excessive force, and made several false or misleading statements during the investigation, and recommended he be fired. Jovanovich resigned before the Chicago Police Board could move forward with any disciplinary action.
Boyd has said she didn’t do anything to excuse the officer’s actions, noting it’s legal in Illinois to record public interactions with police.
“I feel like it should not have ever happened. If you wanted me to put my phone away, I was not going to put it away, I was not going to put it away, so, I have the right to assembly. I have the right to press. You can’t deny me my rights, so that was that,” Boyd said.
If approved by the Finance Committee on Monday, the proposed settlement with Boyd would go to the full City Council for approval on Wednesday.
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