In the summer of 2020, following the tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, Black Lives Matter protests erupted across the United States including in New York City. The protests were supposed to be peaceful but liberals being liberals don’t know how to do anything peacefully and eventually the protests turned violent with looting and vandalism occurring in various parts of the city. In response to the unrest, former Mayor Bill de Blasio imposed an 8 p.m. curfew in early June to discourage this behavior. However, he forgets that criminals don’t care about rules and laws.

However, during a protest in Mott Haven in Bronx County, New York Police Department officers allegedly engaged in “kettling” – a crowd control tactic used by law enforcement where they surround a group of protesters and trap them within a confined area using physical barriers or a police line. This tactic has been widely criticized for its aggressive nature and violation of protesters’ rights. Furthermore, during this particular incident NYPD officers allegedly used force – such as batons and pepper spray – to confine protesters, resulting in many injuries and leaving some unconscious or convulsing from shock.

In response to this incident, the City of New York agreed to pay up to $6 million dollars to over 300 protesters who were trapped or assaulted by police officers during this protest. If approved by a federal judge each protester will receive approximately $21,500 – one of the largest amounts awarded per person in a class-action case related to mass arrests. In addition to providing financial compensation for these individuals’ suffering, NYPD has since re-envisioned their policies and training for policing large scale demonstrations based on recommendations from outside agencies that carefully investigated that period.