A federal judge approved a class-action settlement Friday that awards up to $1,000 in cash to dozens of protesters who claim police violated their civil rights and used excessive force in arresting them after a deadly police shooting in Louisiana.
The deal resolves one of several lawsuits against law enforcement agencies in Baton Rouge after the July 2016 shooting death of Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man. The shooting was one of several recent cases across the U.S. that fueled a debate about race and policing. The officers in that shooting were later cleared by the DOJ.
Sterling was in possession of a gun.
Black Lives Matter movement leader DeRay Mckesson was among 69 arrested protesters eligible for cash payments ranging from $500 to $1,000. He called the settlement a “blueprint” for other activists.
Those approved for the settlement were arrested for obstructing a highway.
The local district attorney announced last summer that roughly 100 arrested protesters wouldn’t be prosecuted on that charge.