Seattle will pay $10 million to protesters who said police used excessive force during 2020 protests

By GENE JOHNSON
Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle has agreed to pay $10 million to 50 demonstrators who sued over the police department’s heavy-handed response to racial justice protests in 2020. The protesters were among tens of thousands who rallied downtown and in the Capitol Hill neighborhood for weeks following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Seattle officers used aggressive techniques to disperse the crowds, including flash-bang grenades, foam-tipped projectiles and “blast balls” that explode and emit pepper gas. Plaintiffs’ lawyer Karen Koehler says the lawsuit was a response to “shameful behavior” by the city. City Attorney Ann Davison says the case had been a “significant drain” on time and resources and the city is not admitting liability.