(Daily360.com) – The far-left city of Seattle, Washington will be paying out upwards of $10 million to settle lawsuits with “Black Lives Matter” (BLM) protestors. The lawsuits stem from what the BLM activists allege was excessive force used by law enforcement dealing with street demonstrations that took place in 2020.
The deal announced on January 24, will not include any admitted wrongdoing from law enforcement or the city. Ann Davison, the City Attorney, said she believes paying the money to the BLM activists was in the best interests of the city “considering risk, cost, and insurance.” She said the ongoing suits have been draining city funds, time and resources for going on four years and it was better to pay now than go to trial in May.
The BLM litigants had amassed more than 10,000 videos from their 2020 activities which they claim would show law enforcement officers behaving in an improper manner. Davison said she hopes paying the BLM activists now will be a “big step” toward allowing the city to get on with the business of today and not dwell on what may have happened four years ago.
This is not the first settlement Seattle has made relating to protestors who took to its streets. In February of 2023, they paid large sums of money to business owners involved with the “Capitol Hill Organized Protest” otherwise known as CHOP. During that episode activists and others took over several blocks of the city and lawlessness ensued. Among a long list of reported crimes were theft, vandalism, and assault as well as two gun homicides before law enforcement finally went in to re-claim the area after 24 days.
The city’s Democrat-mayor at the time attempted to downplay the violence, ruination of businesses, and anarchy in the area by referring to it as a “summer of love” kind of protest. Business owners sued the city for not protecting their businesses during the takeover. A federal judge sided with the business owners and admonished city officials for trying to cover up their actions by deleting texts and other pertinent information relating to the case.
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