Minneapolis Settles Lawsuit with George Floyd's Family for $27 Million

The Minneapolis city council voted unanimously Friday to pay a $27 million settlement with the family of George Floyd, who was killed by police officers on May 25. This occurred as jury selection for the murder trial of the former police officer, Derek Chauvin, who killed him. The Floyd family's attorney, Ben Crump, said the settlement, which includes $500,000 for the neighborhood where Floyd was arrested, marks the largest pre-trial settlement in a civil rights wrongful death case in U.S. history. Since Floyd’s death, Minneapolis voted in June to eliminate the city’s police department, though the proposal fell apart months later. The city has implemented changes, however, in their police department, including the prohibition of chokeholds, an overhaul of its use of force, and no longer allowing officers to turn off their body cams while responding to a call. In December, the city council also decided to cut $8 million from the police department’s budget and opted to use the funds for violence prevention; however, in February, the city council voted to approve $6.4 million for more police recruits. The story received wide coverage across the political spectrum. Left- and center-rated outlets tended to focus on the details of the settlement and of Chauvin's upcoming trial. Some right-rated outlets also reported that Minneapolis is spending around $36 million to provide extra security to the city during Chauvin's trial while protestors turn the site of Floyd's memorial to a police-free "autonomous zone."