Source: Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers / Getty
The summer of protest that exploded in reaction to George Floyd’s murder was unlike anything we’ve witnessed in the modern era. Millions of people flooded the streets of America to speak truth to power and demand police accountability for their history of unwarranted violence against citizens. The irony in those protests is that police nationwide responded by doing exactly what the protesters were accusing them of. The self-fulfilling prophecy was happening in real time.
Source: Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers / Getty
As a result of law enforcement’s inability to demonstrate self-awareness, hundreds if not thousands of lawsuits were filed by those who were injured by police brutality. BOSSIP has reported about several of those settlements, and according to AP, another seven-figure agreement has been reached with another victim.
Source: HOSSEIN FATEMI / Getty
38-year-old LaToya Ratlieff was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet that was fired by Fort Lauderdale, Florida Detective Eliezer Ramos on May 31, 2020. Ratlieff was allegedly choking on tear gas when Ramos shot her and left her with a broken right eye socket, nerve damage, and a gash in her head that required 20 stitches to repair.
Now Ratlieff will receive $2 million for her pain and suffering.
“There were moments when, both mentally and physically, I was ready to give up. But I tried to focus on the fact that this was important, not just for me, but for everyone who seeks to use their voice to create meaningful change,” Ratlieff said in a statement issued Wednesday. “While the financial settlement is important for the City to know that it cannot sweep these injustices under the rug, the corrective requirements will make sure that what happened to me must never happen to anyone else.”
We’re glad to see this sista be compensated for her pain but we’d much rather see police exercise common sense and human decency when dealing with the public.
