Both Killed By Cops, Their Families Given Almost The Same Amount Of Money
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D. Morgan
Members Posts: 11,662 ✭✭✭✭✭
Michael Brown’s family received $1.5 million while the dog’s family received $1.26 million.
America’s justice system can often act in ways that stir up even more pain for family members of victims of police killings ― and, sadly, Michael Brown’s family is all too familiar with this.
On Tuesday, Brown’s parents, Lezley McSpadden and Michael Brown Sr., received a $1.5 million settlement after filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Ferguson, former Police Chief Thomas Jackson and former police officer Darren Wilson. Of course, no amount of money will ever rectify the unjust death of a loved one, but it’s worth noting the amount that Brown’s family received was significantly less than other multimillion-dollar payouts given to other families of black victims of police shootings.
The settlement was, however, on par with one particular shooting in Maryland ― except, in this case, the family was white and the victim was their pet dog.
In May, a jury awarded $1.26 million to a family whose pet was shot and killed by Anne Arundel County police Officer Rodney Price in February 2014. Price, who was confronted by the dog in the homeowner’s front yard, was investigating a burglary in the neighborhood and claimed he was attacked by the nearly 5-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Vern.
Price fired his weapon twice, but admitted in court that the dog did not attack or injure him before he pulled out his weapon, according to the Hansel Law Firm that represented the family. The jury found that the shooting violated the owner’s constitutional rights and was committed with gross negligence, according to a press release sent to HuffPost.
Price was placed on administrative leave and the three-day trial resulted in “the largest verdict in U.S. history for a police dog shooting,” the firm said, according to CBS. The county’s police chief himself even visited the dog’s family to extend his condolences and reassure them that his department would conduct an internal investigation into the incident.
“The verdict sends a strong message to the police about ... community expectations,” Cary J. Hansel, counsel for the plaintiff, wrote in the release. “The duty to serve and protect extends to our animal family members as well. Shooting Vern was senseless, unnecessary and unconstitutional.”
Brown’s family has used these same descriptors time and again to express the pain from their son’s death. The Ferguson police chief never extended them the courtesy of a personal visit ― although he did send them a video message. They were also forced to grieve before the nation while dealing with the mischaracterization of their son ― who was described as “no angel” and a “thug” ― and supporting months-long protests calling out the country’s systemic racism.
The differences in how these two cases played out and the similar amounts of money given to the families send a heavy message about the strikingly unbalanced way in which the justice system can function ― especially in cases involving black lives like Brown’s.
Brown’s parents filed the wrongful death lawsuit in April 2015, nine months after Brown was killed by Wilson, a white officer, in Ferguson. The suit, which sought unspecified damages and remains sealed outside of the disclosed amount, claimed Wilson was poorly trained and used excessive and unreasonable force. Wilson, who said Brown attacked him in his car and who killed the teen after firing six to eight bullets, was ultimately acquitted by a grand jury and was also later cleared by the Justice Department. However, a deep investigation into the Ferguson Police Department by the DOJ did determine that there was a “pattern and practice of unlawful conduct,” which included excessive use of force and the targeting of African-Americans.
Brown’s death ignited widespread protests and brought new momentum to the Black Lives Matter movement. His family has not released a statement since receiving the $1.5 million settlement. According to The Post-Dispatch, $3 million is the limit for the city of Ferguson’s insurance company and City Clerk Octavia Pittman previously told HuffPost that the city’s insurance company has paid $1.5 million on behalf of multiple defendants in the past.
The payout the Brown family received was approved by U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber, who wrote that the amount is a “fair and reasonable compensation for this wrongful death claim and is in the best interests of each Plaintiff.” Again, no amount of money will bring Michael Brown back, but the settlement his family received is notably less than what has been awarded to other black families of police shooting victims in recent years. Philando Castile’s family was recently awarded nearly $3 million ― only half of the $6 million that previously appeared to be the going rate for killing unarmed black people.
These settlements over police misconduct can collectively rack up billions of dollars, usually left for taxpayers to pay. This feeds into a cycle of injustice that is costly, riddled with glaring racial double standards and filled with a lack of accountability ― ultimately highlighting the desperate and urgent need for widespread police reform in America.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/michael-brown-killed-by-cops-their-families-awarded-almost-the-same-amount-of-money_us_59529375e4b02734df2dc3c1
America’s justice system can often act in ways that stir up even more pain for family members of victims of police killings ― and, sadly, Michael Brown’s family is all too familiar with this.
On Tuesday, Brown’s parents, Lezley McSpadden and Michael Brown Sr., received a $1.5 million settlement after filing a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Ferguson, former Police Chief Thomas Jackson and former police officer Darren Wilson. Of course, no amount of money will ever rectify the unjust death of a loved one, but it’s worth noting the amount that Brown’s family received was significantly less than other multimillion-dollar payouts given to other families of black victims of police shootings.
The settlement was, however, on par with one particular shooting in Maryland ― except, in this case, the family was white and the victim was their pet dog.
In May, a jury awarded $1.26 million to a family whose pet was shot and killed by Anne Arundel County police Officer Rodney Price in February 2014. Price, who was confronted by the dog in the homeowner’s front yard, was investigating a burglary in the neighborhood and claimed he was attacked by the nearly 5-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Vern.
Price fired his weapon twice, but admitted in court that the dog did not attack or injure him before he pulled out his weapon, according to the Hansel Law Firm that represented the family. The jury found that the shooting violated the owner’s constitutional rights and was committed with gross negligence, according to a press release sent to HuffPost.
Price was placed on administrative leave and the three-day trial resulted in “the largest verdict in U.S. history for a police dog shooting,” the firm said, according to CBS. The county’s police chief himself even visited the dog’s family to extend his condolences and reassure them that his department would conduct an internal investigation into the incident.
“The verdict sends a strong message to the police about ... community expectations,” Cary J. Hansel, counsel for the plaintiff, wrote in the release. “The duty to serve and protect extends to our animal family members as well. Shooting Vern was senseless, unnecessary and unconstitutional.”
Brown’s family has used these same descriptors time and again to express the pain from their son’s death. The Ferguson police chief never extended them the courtesy of a personal visit ― although he did send them a video message. They were also forced to grieve before the nation while dealing with the mischaracterization of their son ― who was described as “no angel” and a “thug” ― and supporting months-long protests calling out the country’s systemic racism.
The differences in how these two cases played out and the similar amounts of money given to the families send a heavy message about the strikingly unbalanced way in which the justice system can function ― especially in cases involving black lives like Brown’s.
Brown’s parents filed the wrongful death lawsuit in April 2015, nine months after Brown was killed by Wilson, a white officer, in Ferguson. The suit, which sought unspecified damages and remains sealed outside of the disclosed amount, claimed Wilson was poorly trained and used excessive and unreasonable force. Wilson, who said Brown attacked him in his car and who killed the teen after firing six to eight bullets, was ultimately acquitted by a grand jury and was also later cleared by the Justice Department. However, a deep investigation into the Ferguson Police Department by the DOJ did determine that there was a “pattern and practice of unlawful conduct,” which included excessive use of force and the targeting of African-Americans.
Brown’s death ignited widespread protests and brought new momentum to the Black Lives Matter movement. His family has not released a statement since receiving the $1.5 million settlement. According to The Post-Dispatch, $3 million is the limit for the city of Ferguson’s insurance company and City Clerk Octavia Pittman previously told HuffPost that the city’s insurance company has paid $1.5 million on behalf of multiple defendants in the past.
The payout the Brown family received was approved by U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber, who wrote that the amount is a “fair and reasonable compensation for this wrongful death claim and is in the best interests of each Plaintiff.” Again, no amount of money will bring Michael Brown back, but the settlement his family received is notably less than what has been awarded to other black families of police shooting victims in recent years. Philando Castile’s family was recently awarded nearly $3 million ― only half of the $6 million that previously appeared to be the going rate for killing unarmed black people.
These settlements over police misconduct can collectively rack up billions of dollars, usually left for taxpayers to pay. This feeds into a cycle of injustice that is costly, riddled with glaring racial double standards and filled with a lack of accountability ― ultimately highlighting the desperate and urgent need for widespread police reform in America.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/michael-brown-killed-by-cops-their-families-awarded-almost-the-same-amount-of-money_us_59529375e4b02734df2dc3c1
Comments
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Bruuuuh a ? dog?
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Smfh
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Even I don't get those type of rights
Smh at privilege ass dog -
T. Sanford wrote: »Even I don't get those type of rights
Smh at privilege ass dog
Can't even stick up for your own man...c'mon B -
T. Sanford wrote: »Even I don't get those type of rights
Smh at privilege ass dog
Lmao I was going to @ u and ask if u knew this dog and why he had so much privilege -
I hate Amerikkka
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They often compare us black people ta animals I'm not too shocked readin this
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Thats a slap in the face. I know white folks love they dogs but gatdamn....WHERE IS YOUR HUMANITY MUTHAFUCKA!!!
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if you want to be valued more than a dog then stop living like dog............ if we want the total disrespect to stop we have to start respecting ourselves. They will still hate our black assess but that's okay as long as they respect it as well.
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anklesocks wrote: »if you want to be valued more than a dog then stop living like dog............ if we want the total disrespect to stop we have to start respecting ourselves. They will still hate our black assess but that's okay as long as they respect it as well.
Philando didnt live like a dog, he was an upstanding member of the community so wtf are u talking about ? -
anklesocks wrote: »if you want to be valued more than a dog then stop living like dog............ if we want the total disrespect to stop we have to start respecting ourselves. They will still hate our black assess but that's okay as long as they respect it as well.
Philando didnt live like a dog, he was an upstanding member of the community so wtf are u talking about ?
CORRECT but i was not really talking about him i was speaking in general.... the source of the disrespect blacks face comes from the fact that we are not respected because we are not presented as being respectable. Now the media will portray us in a bad light however we can diminish their light by first improving ourselves.
in other words give our enemies less ammunition -
radio_santana wrote: »I know white folks love they dogs but gatdamn....WHERE IS YOUR HUMANITY MUTHAFUCKA!!!
Nahh, white folks worship their pets/animals. It's really a Western thing though. Dogs have better rights than people. Animal lives matter. -
anklesocks wrote: »if you want to be valued more than a dog then stop living like dog............ if we want the total disrespect to stop we have to start respecting ourselves. They will still hate our black assess but that's okay as long as they respect it as well.
Lol FOH with that pull your pants up ? . -
anklesocks wrote: »if you want to be valued more than a dog then stop living like dog............ if we want the total disrespect to stop we have to start respecting ourselves. They will still hate our black assess but that's okay as long as they respect it as well.
Lol FOH with that pull your pants up ? .
OKAY keep your pants down don't take care of the youth and the communities that's what we have been doing and how has it been working for us???
? don't want to listen and keep doing the same ? but expect different outcomes. The only other way to make the world respect you is violence but black people aren't very good at that when compared to other people. -
anklesocks wrote: »anklesocks wrote: »if you want to be valued more than a dog then stop living like dog............ if we want the total disrespect to stop we have to start respecting ourselves. They will still hate our black assess but that's okay as long as they respect it as well.
Lol FOH with that pull your pants up ? .
OKAY keep your pants down don't take care of the youth and the communities that's what we have been doing and how has it been working for us???
? don't want to listen and keep doing the same ? but expect different outcomes. The only other way to make the world respect you is violence but black people aren't very good at that when compared to other people.
Get ready.... -
anklesocks wrote: »if you want to be valued more than a dog then stop living like dog............ if we want the total disrespect to stop we have to start respecting ourselves. They will still hate our black assess but that's okay as long as they respect it as well.
Well, we all know how this is going to go. I say we ban this white boy now and get it over with. -
anklesocks wrote: »anklesocks wrote: »if you want to be valued more than a dog then stop living like dog............ if we want the total disrespect to stop we have to start respecting ourselves. They will still hate our black assess but that's okay as long as they respect it as well.
Lol FOH with that pull your pants up ? .
OKAY keep your pants down don't take care of the youth and the communities that's what we have been doing and how has it been working for us???
? don't want to listen and keep doing the same ? but expect different outcomes. The only other way to make the world respect you is violence but black people aren't very good at that when compared to other people.
Lol "us"
BYE sister ? or Ben Carson, which ever you are. Your opinion is uninformed, inflammatory, incorrect, and most importantly, unwanted. Go make America great again. -
anklesocks wrote: »anklesocks wrote: »if you want to be valued more than a dog then stop living like dog............ if we want the total disrespect to stop we have to start respecting ourselves. They will still hate our black assess but that's okay as long as they respect it as well.
Lol FOH with that pull your pants up ? .
OKAY keep your pants down don't take care of the youth and the communities that's what we have been doing and how has it been working for us???
? don't want to listen and keep doing the same ? but expect different outcomes. The only other way to make the world respect you is violence but black people aren't very good at that when compared to other people.
Your name is anklesocks............ -
anklesocks wrote: »anklesocks wrote: »if you want to be valued more than a dog then stop living like dog............ if we want the total disrespect to stop we have to start respecting ourselves. They will still hate our black assess but that's okay as long as they respect it as well.
Lol FOH with that pull your pants up ? .
OKAY keep your pants down don't take care of the youth and the communities that's what we have been doing and how has it been working for us???
? don't want to listen and keep doing the same ? but expect different outcomes. The only other way to make the world respect you is violence but black people aren't very good at that when compared to other people.
Lol "us"
BYE sister ? or Ben Carson, which ever you are. Your opinion is uninformed, inflammatory, incorrect, and most importantly, unwanted. Go make America great again.
you are a female and females should be silent, listening to our woman and giving her advice and words more credence than it deserves is just another symptom of our weakness and is another reason we are not respected by other MEN.
I am not a "ben carson" type nor am I white I tell black people things they don't want to hear but those things are good for us. Black men have to do what it takes to be respected in the true sense anything less is a waste of energy -
anklesocks wrote: »anklesocks wrote: »if you want to be valued more than a dog then stop living like dog............ if we want the total disrespect to stop we have to start respecting ourselves. They will still hate our black assess but that's okay as long as they respect it as well.
Lol FOH with that pull your pants up ? .
OKAY keep your pants down don't take care of the youth and the communities that's what we have been doing and how has it been working for us???
? don't want to listen and keep doing the same ? but expect different outcomes. The only other way to make the world respect you is violence but black people aren't very good at that when compared to other people.
Your name is anklesocks............
CERTAIN people who are In the know will recognize the name and where it's from -
anklesocks wrote: »if you want to be valued more than a dog then stop living like dog............ if we want the total disrespect to stop we have to start respecting ourselves. They will still hate our black assess but that's okay as long as they respect it as well.
Well, we all know how this is going to go. I say we ban this white boy now and get it over with.
I am not white in body or mind but like the typical black american you assume i am i have differing opinions.... this whole forum can be an echo chamber the same people with the same opinions saying the same ? over and over and agreeing with each other. -
anklesocks wrote: »anklesocks wrote: »if you want to be valued more than a dog then stop living like dog............ if we want the total disrespect to stop we have to start respecting ourselves. They will still hate our black assess but that's okay as long as they respect it as well.
Philando didnt live like a dog, he was an upstanding member of the community so wtf are u talking about ?
CORRECT but i was not really talking about him i was speaking in general.... the source of the disrespect blacks face comes from the fact that we are not respected because we are not presented as being respectable. Now the media will portray us in a bad light however we can diminish their light by first improving ourselves.
in other words give our enemies less ammunition
Pant up, Pants down STILL ? -
anklesocks wrote: »anklesocks wrote: »if you want to be valued more than a dog then stop living like dog............ if we want the total disrespect to stop we have to start respecting ourselves. They will still hate our black assess but that's okay as long as they respect it as well.
Well, we all know how this is going to go. I say we ban this white boy now and get it over with.
I am not white in body or mind but like the typical black american you assume i am i have differing opinions.... this whole forum can be an echo chamber the same people with the same opinions saying the same ? over and over and agreeing with each other.
Zombie, is that you? Be honest, aint no shame in saying you couldnt stay away. -
anklesocks wrote: »anklesocks wrote: »if you want to be valued more than a dog then stop living like dog............ if we want the total disrespect to stop we have to start respecting ourselves. They will still hate our black assess but that's okay as long as they respect it as well.
Well, we all know how this is going to go. I say we ban this white boy now and get it over with.
I am not white in body or mind but like the typical black american you assume i am i have differing opinions.... this whole forum can be an echo chamber the same people with the same opinions saying the same ? over and over and agreeing with each other.
I agree MLK, mandela and medgar evers shouldve respected themselves more -
anklesocks wrote: »anklesocks wrote: »anklesocks wrote: »if you want to be valued more than a dog then stop living like dog............ if we want the total disrespect to stop we have to start respecting ourselves. They will still hate our black assess but that's okay as long as they respect it as well.
Lol FOH with that pull your pants up ? .
OKAY keep your pants down don't take care of the youth and the communities that's what we have been doing and how has it been working for us???
? don't want to listen and keep doing the same ? but expect different outcomes. The only other way to make the world respect you is violence but black people aren't very good at that when compared to other people.
Lol "us"
BYE sister ? or Ben Carson, which ever you are. Your opinion is uninformed, inflammatory, incorrect, and most importantly, unwanted. Go make America great again.
you are a female and females should be silent, listening to our woman and giving her advice and words more credence than it deserves is just another symptom of our weakness and is another reason we are not respected by other MEN.
I am not a "ben carson" type nor am I white I tell black people things they don't want to hear but those things are good for us. Black men have to do what it takes to be respected in the true sense anything less is a waste of energy
I am a woman, who's telling you to shut your hoe ass up. You heard me, hoe. Not sure if you have mandingo envy or you're dying for white approval. Which is it?
