Denver to pay nearly $3M additional in settlements related to 2020 protests
The City and County of Denver is set to pay out an additional $2.87 million to 13 people who alleged the Denver Police Department violated their civil rights during the 2020 protests over the death of George Floyd.
The payouts, approved by Denver City Council on Monday, bring the total amount of money Denver has paid out related to the protests to almost $25 million. Colorado’s federal appeals court also ordered the city in April to pay $14 million to 12 plaintiffs after affirming a 2022 jury verdict that found officers violated their civil rights during the May 2020 protests.
The settlement was approved during the city council’s weekly legislative meeting.
Denver has paid out settlements in a number of lawsuits relating to protester injuries caused by police during the protests over Floyd’s death. Denver, like most major U.S. cities, saw large numbers of protesters take to the streets after Floyd’s death. The courts later convicted a police officer in Minneapolis of murdering Floyd.
During the 2020 protests, roughly 500 officers were dispatched for crowd control. Dozens were injured by protesters, who hurled rocks, water bottles and cans of food, according media reports at the time.
The Denver Fire Department, meanwhile, responded to more than 200 calls. A report by Denver’s independent monitor’s noted the damage to the state Capitol building and city property was estimated at about $2.1 million, while DPD reported more than $75,000 in damages, mostly to police vehicles. Local businesses, too, reported roughly $2 million in damages, the result of broken windows, stolen goods and graffiti.
Protesters who sued the department were shot at with non-lethal munitions, being hit by everything from pepper balls to a Kevlar-bag filled with lead shot fired from a shotgun. One protester hit in the head by a shotgun blast ended up in intensive care.
Many of the lawsuits alleged Denver police officers violated the first, fourth and fourteenth amendment rights when officers used less-than-lethal weapons, which included rubber bullets, tear gas and pepper balls.
The payments in the new round of settlements will range between $140,000 and $300,000.
After the Floyd protests, Denver police said the department has changed many policies relating to how officers approach crowd control and use force. The changes came after the city’s Office of the Independent Monitor evaluated DPD’s response and policies.




